The Dragon
by Captain Mockingjay
Summary: Alissa has been on the run for months, afraid her powers are going to hurt the ones she loves. Can the X-Men help her to accept her powers and her strange appearance? Will a new friend ease her journey? Rated T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, so this is my first fanfiction. Its set in my own little made-up town somewhere near New York. The time setting is modern day, and almost all of the X-Men are high school age and attending high school where nobody knows about mutants. Um...let's see, what else are you gonna need for this story? It's told from two points of view; Kurt's and Alissa's. I tried to write in accents at first, but it got to be too much of a pain and I was afraid I'd write them in wrong so I just gave up and didn't do it. Y'all know Kurt's German, right? Yeah, I thought so. Oh, and also, I've never once read a comic book (not that I have anything against them, I just haven't), so nearly all my info comes from X-Men cartoons and movies I've written, and a little bit from a book I read about a bunch of Marvel characters. Sorry if I get them out of character. You can just tell me and I'll try to correct it later. So I'm just gonna ramble on and on now so on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men...for now at least ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

I blinked; the reflection of the sun off of a window was blinding me. I tilted my wings and glided out of range of the light. I stretched out my arms and spun around in air. Man, I love flying! There's nothing like the feel of the wind in your hair, and the power of the updraft just lifting you higher and higher! I take a moment to really _feel _the wind. I feel it rush up my face, through my hair, over my wings, tickling every little feather, then down my back as it spirals down my tail. Up here was the only place where I could feel this way, where I could feel free. _Why_ is this the only place, 600 feet above the tallest buildings? Because I'm a mutant. Up here, no one can see me, no one can criticize me, and no one can hunt me. Up here, I'm safe.

I'd been on the run for almost 8 months now. I cringed as I thought back to that painful night, the night I left. It was too terrible; I had to stay focused on the mission at hand. I had to find some place to sleep.

I scoured the streets for a hotel or something, preferably something out of the way, where I could get some privacy. I take a moment to really survey my surroundings. I was in some town (if you could even call it that. I mean, it was huge!), somewhere just outside of New York City. I looked around, and made a mental map of all the alleyways and empty buildings, places I could hide if someone found me and called the cops.

I pass by small shops, apartment buildings, hotels with neon glowing "No Vacancy" signs, and a small shopping mall. Ok, so maybe this town was bigger than I thought. There's gotta be _some _place that my limited/no income can afford. As I head farther in, I hear some commotion. I look up and see… something crazy.

There were three or four huge blue and purple _robots_ in the middle of town! They were attacking the buildings and anything in between, including people. "_Oh, no,"_ I thought. Before I had time to really freak out though, a huge black jet appeared behind one of the buildings. I saw a bunch of people jump out and start running towards the robots. "_A bunch of lunatics trying to be heroes,"_ I thought. Boy was I wrong. A girl who looked about fifteen or sixteen raised her hand and a lightning bolt came out of nowhere and struck one of the robots. Another guy shot red laser beams out of his eyes at another robot. Then a man looked like he was slashing one of them with a bunch of knives. There were puffs of blackish purple smoke everywhere, and wherever one appeared, a new dent showed up in one of the robots. There were so many people filing out of that jet, I couldn't even keep track of 'em all, but I knew there was something odd going on.

Farther up the street, closer to me, another, smaller robot landed. I fluttered to the top of a building, behind a raised skylight for cover. This robot was red and black and shorter than the others but thicker. It raised its arm/gun and aimed it at the people fighting the purple robots. There was another puff of blackish purple smoke, and a dark figure slammed into the gun, throwing off its aim and making it fire at one of the other robots.

"Hey guys! A little help over here?" the dark figure shouted at the people attacking the purple robots. They didn't respond. I guess they were too caught up taking on the other four robots. "Hey! Guys! I need some help! Please!" I was starting to get worried about him.

_What do I do? What do I do? _I thought frantically. The robot grabbed him with the non-gun hand and pinned him down; its pincher-like grip stared squeezing him tighter. _"Ok, that's it, foolish decision time." _I reached into my bag and pulled my little half of a ski mask out and pulled it over the upper part of my face, so everything from my nose up was covered, except my eyes. I pulled my grey, wolf-like ears trough the holes in the top I'd made earlier. I hid the rest of my stuff behind a crate and spread my wings. I ran and leaped off the rooftop.

I swooped up behind the robot and opened my mouth, and a huge jet of fire surged through. My fire is hotter than most normal fires, and melted right through the back of its hand, thereby making it release its hold on the dark-colored guy. It swung its other arm at me. I gracefully dodged it and came right up in front of its face. I opened my mouth again, and melted right through its cold, metallic face. There was a sparking sound, and all the lights on the robot went off. I landed on the un-melted part of its head and turned to the guy I'd helped.

Now that I was closer, I could see him more clearly. I was almost shocked at what I saw. As the guy stood up, I could see he was really young, about fourteen, and clearly a mutant. Like me. He was covered in dark blue fur, and wearing some weird uniform with an "X" on it. There were two pointed ears poking out of his thick curly black hair. When he looked at me, I could see his eyes were golden. He had an almost elfish face, until he smiled, revealing two sharp pointed canine teeth. It's not that his smile was creepy or anything, but the fangs kinda ruined the whole elf thing. In fact, it was really sweet…

"Thank you, so much. You saved my life," he spoke with an accent, I couldn't place it. German, maybe? A blue, pointed tail flicked behind him.

I flicked my own green, furry-tipped tail in response. "Um…yeah, no problem. Don't mention it," I responded awkwardly. I was still caught up staring at this guy. He looked kinda strange, but he was really cute. I spread my wings and tried to fly away before I said something stupid, but he called back to me.

"Hey! Where are you going?" There was a *bamf* noise, and a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, the blue guy was standing right in front of me. "If you ever need anything, just give us a call, alright?" He reached out and put something in my hand. I noticed he only had two fingers and a thumb on each hand. In another puff of smoke he was gone.

I looked down at what he had put in my hand. It was a business card of some sort. _The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters_ was written across the top, next to some symbol with an X that looked a lot like the symbol on his uniform. I shoved it in my pocket and took off for the rooftop. I grabbed my stuff, and took off in the other direction. _"That was too close,"_ I thought. _"No more heroics_," I told myself. Agreed. Now that _that _was taken care of, I could focus on the other major thing on my mind. Who was that mysterious blue mutant boy?

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I glared across the table at Remy LeBeau. That guy had the best poker face in history, and we were just playing Go Fish! "Um…" I hesitated, "Do you have any 2s?"

Remy looked at me and smiled, his red eyes gleaming triumphantly. _No! _I thought. I'd bet five bucks on this game! I was NOT going to lose. I had basically the whole freaking deck, and no matches. I was screwed.

"It's your lucky day, fuzzy," said Remy, with his thick Cajun accent. He smiled gently, and I sighed with relief. He was handing me the 2 of diamonds when a siren went off.

"_Attention X-Men. There's been a Sentinel attack in town. Everyone suit up and meet at the X-Jet in five minutes!" _The Professor's voice rang in our minds.

"Wunderbar," I sighed, another Sentinel attack? This was insane! But oh well, the people need us, we can't let them down. Even if they didn't know we existed and would probably hate us if they did.

I teleported up to my room and in a couple minutes I was suited up. I teleported down to the X-Jet hangar just in time to board. Everyone was crowding on, so I just teleported to the seat in between my adopted sister Rogue-who was engrossed in a riveting conversation about the number seven with Gambit-and Wolverine. "You ready to take out some robots, elf?" Wolverine growled.

"I guess. But seriously, this is the third attack this month! I just don't understand what they're looking for. Is it us? Are they trying to tell the world about mutants or something?"

"You're askin' the wrong person, bub. I don't see anything for them to gain, even if people did find out about us," Wolverine shook his head. "You're right; this whole thing is really crazy."

I could see the city through the windshield. Right in the middle of town were four giant blue and purple Sentinels. "_Here goes nothing."_ We landed the Jet somewhere behind the robots where hopefully nobody would notice. Like a mob everyone shot out of the Jet and attacked the robots. Storm opened up with a huge lightning bolt on the center one, Cyclops took off his visor and blasted another one, Wolverine unsheathed his adamantium claws and just started slicing into the nearest one. I did my best and teleported right onto the head of one. I slammed a hammer I'd taken from the Jet (why there was a hammer there, I'll never know) as hard as I could into its skull. I dented it, but I hardly did any damage. I sighed. So I started 'porting around and slamming the robots wherever I could, trying to find a weak spot.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw another Sentinel land a few hundred yards up the road. This one was shorter than the rest, and had its red gun aimed right at the X-Men. I had to do something! I dropped my hammer and teleported over to the red one and slammed myself into its gun as hard as I could; throwing off its aim and making it hit one of its buddies. It turned on me; I knew I couldn't handle this thing all by myself. I screamed for help, but no one responded. It kept trying to grab me with its pincher like hand, I dodged it barely. I tried to send a mental message to one of the psychics on the team, but no one heard me. While I was distracted, trying to make contact with them, I misjudged a leap and the robot grabbed me and pinned me down. I was in so much pain, I couldn't even teleport. I knew I was going to die.

Just before I thought I would black out, an angel appeared in the sky. Huge golden-brown wings descended upon the Sentinel, and then she opened her mouth, and an eruption of flames spilled out, melting through the back of the robot's hand. Its grip loosened on me, and I was able to wriggle free. I looked up and saw the angel blasting fire into the face of the Sentinel, shutting it down when its circuits melted. She fluttered up onto the back of its head and I could look at her for the first time.

She wasn't in fact, an angel. She was a mutant. Now that I saw her in front of me I could see she was a young girl, perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old, with a mask covering most of her face and flowing brown hair and eyes that matched her glorious golden-brown wings. On top of her head two wolf ears poked out. At first I thought they were part of a costume until they flicked at different sounds. I saw a green, furry tail twitching behind her, the little fluff on the end looked _so _soft. My gosh, she was beautiful.

"Thank you, so much. You saved my life," I sputtered out. _"Thank you, Captain Obvious! Of course she knows she saved your life! That's WHY she came to rescue you, isn't it?"_ I could tell my tail was flicking nervously behind me.

"Um…yeah, no problem. Don't mention it," she replied. But then she spread her wings and tried to fly away. Did I scare her? _"Oh please, God, don't let her be scared of me!"_

"Hey! Where are you going?" I teleported up to her_. _I couldn't just let her go!_ "What do I say? Do I ask her name? Do I introduce myself?"_ I hadn't been that nervous since Wolverine asked me to try out his new Danger Room course. I lamely pulled out one of Xavier's business cards and handed it to her. "If you ever need anything, just give us a call, alright?" Then I teleported outta there and back to the rest of my team before I did something even more ridiculous.

When I got there, Jean had all but imploded the last Sentinel. "Hey, Nightcrawler, sorry we didn't get a chance to get over there. Was everything ok?" Cyclops asked me.

"Jah," I mumbled, still thinking about the girl who attacked the Sentinel. "Everything was beautiful."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, so, what did ya think? If you liked it please review. If you didn't, well, if you don't have something nice or helpful to say, don't say anything at all. Anyway, if I get enough good reviews I'll try to put up a second chapter soon. Fly on, Captain Mockingjay**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I finally got the second chapter up! Sorry it took so long, I had a TON of homework this weekend and a storm knocked out or Internet connction. Thanks you, Frozenunicorns, Lord of hell, Dragoncat, and jordylilly777 for the reviews. They mean a lot :) Anyway, I had a short fit of writer's block so this chapter isn't as good as I had hoped. A lot of the information, though, especially on Alissa's part, is important for later. Ok, so, here goes nothing! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

"_If you ever need anything, just give us a call, alright?" _The words of that blue mutant boy still flowed through my head. I was in an alley at the far end of town, reading that business card he gave me. "_Maybe I should check this place out. If another mutant said to go there…" _I shut those thoughts out. I wouldn't allow myself to think about something like that. _"I can't stay here. I must keep moving. If I stop, they'll find me. If they find me, then they find out about Brendan, and maybe even Cody. I can't let that happen," _I scolded myself. I shoved the card in my pocket again and told myself to worry about it another time. There's too much going on to think about that. Not yet.

I spread my wings and took to the skies, still searching for a place to sleep. Up ahead I saw a small hotel brandishing a glowing pink "Vacancy" sign. I floated down a little bit to get a closer look; it was a relatively small place, with only two little green buildings surrounding a cramped parking lot. It looked like the perfect place to hide. I touched down in an alley about a block away, and worked on hiding my…deformities.

I reached into the larger of my two bags and pulled out a long beige trench coat that reached down to my ankles. I pulled my wings as close to my body as I could and pulled the coat on. I pondered whether or not to tie it closed, because if I tied it then I could let my tail hang free beneath it. But if I did that, then it might just start absently swishing behind me and attract attention. I opted to the safe route and wrapped my tail around my left leg, tying the end down with a short length of string to keep it from wriggling. I pinned my ears back and fluffed my hair so it covered them. Just to be safe, I put a beanie on too. I picked up my meager belongings and crossed the street to the hotel.

The front desk was in the larger of the two buildings, with large glass doors welcoming me into a modest lobby. To my left were a few cushioned chairs and a small door leading to—according to the sign above it—the breakfast area. To my right was a cheaply lit hallway with dim, torch-like lamps on either wall and green and red wallpaper running down its sides. Numbered rooms stretched down either side, staring at 101. Directly in front of me was a sprawling wood desk. There was a sort, thin man who looked to be in his thirties sitting behind it. Dark black hair was brushed back, away from his face. A thin moustache grew on his upper lip. There was a name plate on the desk that read "Mr. Caprice".

"Hello, ma'am, welcome to the Beat's Hotel. How may I help you today?" asked Mr. Caprice. His smile seemed generally warm and inviting. He offered me his hand and I shook it. There was a short stinging sensation; I attributed it to static electricity. His smile seemed to grow for a second, then retreated back to its obnoxiously too-kind-host-like state.

"I need a room for tonight. Are there any vacancies? Preferably something in the back?" I replied. As far as I could tell, this was the only place in town that might have an open room.

He scanned a computer screen looking for vacancies. "Ah! Yes, here's one. I see we have a vacancy in room 210, which happens to be near the back. Will this do?"

"Yes," I said. I pulled out my wallet before remembering to ask something. "Um…how much is it per night?"

"For that room, forty dollars, including the complementary breakfasts. Will that be a problem?"

"So, how long will two-hundred get me?" I stared down at the wad of cash I'd pulled from my wallet. When I'd left, I'd taken all the money I had, cancelled all bank accounts, and left no way to follow me. Monetarily, at least. Over the past 8 months though, I'd used up most of what I had. I had three hundred dollars left to my name, and I _needed _a place to sleep.

"About five days, ma'am," said Mr. Caprice. I handed him the money. "Ok, so I'm going to need to see some ID. I can't let anyone under eighteen rent a room here without parental consent." Uh-oh. I was only fourteen. But I had a few tricks up my sleeve, though. I reached in my bag and handed him a fake ID I'd made for myself when I left.

He looked at the ID then skeptically looked over me. Then he handed me a key card. "Room 210, in our secondary building, around back."

I took the card and found room 210. It was on the top floor, around the center of the building. My door was a sort of tan-orange, with green framework surrounding it. I slid the key card in the handle and the door opened with a 'beep!' The first thing I noticed was the small little green and pink striped couch behind a small wooded coffee table. I short wall sealed them off from the rest of the room. I queen-sized bed was the focal point of the room, with matching side tables adorning it on either side. The bed was facing an old looking television atop a short wooden dresser. A few feet beyond that was a long counter top with a central sink. There were doors on either side, one leading to a modest bathroom and the other leading to a small kitchenette complete with microwave and an un-stocked mini-fridge. _"Suite," _I thought. _"Ha, I'm so punny."_

I threw my bags down and flopped onto the bed. After a few minutes of pondering the blue mutant, I got up and shut all the blinds, put the "Do not disturb" sign on the door and took a shower. When I got out, I put my clothes on and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked at my deformed reflection and sighed. _"What the hell am I? Look at me! I'm a mutant, and an ugly one at that. Other mutants…at least they _look _normal. I'm a freak among freaks,"_ My tail began flicking behind me. _"Even that blue guy, at least he like, matched. He looked like a complete person. I'm just spare parts thrown together." _I screamed and pounded my fists on the counter. Smoke began to spill from the corners of my mouth, fogging up the view of myself in the mirror. But I didn't need to see myself to know the hideous truth. _"Just look at me! I've got brown wings, a fuzzy green tail, and grey wolf ears. The _colors_ don't even go together! Heck, my ears aren't even in the right spot! They're on top of my head! I have to constantly hide the sides of my head BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY EARS THERE!"_ I started crying then, whether it was from the pain or smoke I'm not sure.

Frustrated, I belly-flopped on the bed and let my emotions flow. I was remembering my life back home, the life I had to leave, for my brother's sake. Back home, people didn't know I was a mutant. Only my family and my best-friend Cody knew. But one day, I screwed up and set someone's car on fire. The police came after me, accusing me of vandalism and destruction of personal property. If they found out I was a mutant, the government would get involved, seeing as how most people didn't know of our existence. I'd be taken from my family to God-knows-where while they investigated them. I couldn't take that risk. My little brother, Brendan, was starting to develop mutant powers. I was the only one that knew, not even my parents. I couldn't risk them taking him too. So I packed my bags and flew off. If they couldn't find me, they couldn't investigate, and they couldn't find my brother.

I sobbed the rest of the night.

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

"Ok, so, take the sin30, and add the cos60, that should equal…" I punched some numbers through my calculator. "One! Ok, now if the sine of angle 'A' is .79 degrees, than the measure of the angle is…uh…" I couldn't focus on the math, for some reason. I couldn't stop thinking about that girl who saved me from the Sentinel the other day. Had anyone else seen her? Had I just imagined her? Someone knocked on my door.

"Hey, Kurt! Can I come in?" a voice called through the door.

"Yeah, sure. I'm just doing some Geometry homework." I called back.

I small brunette head peeked through my door. Like, literally _through_ my door. "Oh, math! Sounds fun!" Kitty Pryde squealed. She phased the rest of the way through my door and plopped on the bed next to me. "Need any help?"

"Jah, do you know how to do this last problem?" She read over the problem, scribbled a few numbers down on my scratch paper, and looked at me like I'd just done something really stupid. "Really, Kurt? It's so obviously fifty-two!"

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not a math genius. So what's up? Has the professor got any news about the Sentinel attack the other day?"

"I don't know. He said he wanted us to come to his office and talk about something. He sent me to grab you."

"Ok, but why didn't he just tell me telepathically? Why'd he send you?"

"He said he tried, but he couldn't get a message through, like you were too focused on something else."

"Oh," was all I could say. Had the professor been reading my mind? Did he know about the girl? _"Can he help me find more about her?" _I took Kitty's hand and we teleported into Xavier's office. The rest of the team was already gathered.

"Ok, now that everybody's here, I'd like to go over the results of Saturday's mission. First and foremost, I managed to erase the memories of any humans that saw us there that day."

"What about film crews? Did they get any footage of us?" Scott asked

"As far as I can tell, no. Our identities and the existence of mutants seem secure." He gave me a sideways glance, then turned back to the rest of the group. Was he thinking about the girl I saw? "Hank and Kitty have been doing some research on the Sentinel Project."

Hank chimed in, "So far, we've found nothing useful. Just a few government websites Kitty hacked into explaining the new technology involved with the hypothetical construction of the robots."

The professor went on explaining how we all did such a great work, and the teamwork, how we'll get to the bottom of this and all the other usual stuff. I tried to pay attention and take what he said to heart, but I couldn't get the image of the angel girl out of my head. What was happening to me? She wouldn't go away. No matter that I tried to do, I couldn't get rid of that image of her swooping out of the sky and melting through the hand of the Sentinel. "Thank you, you are all dismissed." The professor's voice woke me from my daydream. I started to walk away when I heard his voice call behind me, "Kurt, actually, would you mind staying for a moment? I would like to talk to you about something."

"_Here it comes," _I thought. "Jah, what's up?" I said aloud.

"I realize you went off on your own for a short time to take out a different Sentinel. Did anything…unusual…happen while you were fighting it?"

For some reason, I really didn't want to talk about that girl right then. I don't know why, only a few minutes before I was dying to know if he could help me find more about her, but now… "Not really, professor. This robot was smaller than the rest. I think it was a trap. I think they were trying to get us all fighting the big robots then blow us up with this smaller one." I didn't say anything about the girl. If he really wanted to know, he didn't have to ask me, he could just read my mind.

"Is that all, Kurt?"

He knew something was up. But I couldn't bring myself to say anything about her. "Yes, professor," I lied.

"Ok, Kurt. You can go now. But first," he looked very seriously into my eyes, "if you ever need to talk about something, I'm here."

"Thank you." I teleported back up to my room and sat on the railing on the balcony, staring at the sunset. _"Where is she?"_ I thought. _"And when will I see her again?"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok! There it is! A third chapter should be up in about a week. Sorry, I really only have time to do this on the weekends :/ Anyway please review, tell me whatcha think. Until next time,**

**Fly on,**

** Captain Mockingjay**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So, remember how I said it'd probably be another week 'till the next chapter? Here it is! This chapter was originally supposed to be in the next chapter, but I realized it'd make it too long. So I opted to make it separate and add a little more detail. So! The REAL interesting stuff's gonna happen next time. I'm building up to it ;) Thanks for the reviews, guys! You have no idea how much it makes my day when I log in and see all these really nice things you guys have said about my work 3. I have a couple replies I'd like to get in, though; Frozenunicorns- 1) awesome name! 2) I promise her brother's gonna have a bigger part in the story, but I've gotta get there first! You'll see ;) Dragoncat- I was thinking the Professor was thinking more along the lines of Kurt revealing the X-Men to somebody or meeting a new mutant, but I totally like you're interpretation a LOT more ;) Alrighty guys, here's Chapter 3!**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

I was in my hotel room, _Dancing with the Stars _or some other show like that was playing in the background on the small TV behind me. I stood over the bed; a map of the United States sprawled out before me. I traced a zigzagging line from California to New York, the line that represented the path I'd taken to escape from the cops, government, or anybody else that might be after me. I followed my path from California's coast up through Nevada into Idaho, down into Wyoming and Colorado, I spent a couple days in Oklahoma, then into Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and now in New York. I pondered where to go next. I couldn't really go a whole lot farther East, unless I wanted to go Maine or something. _"I'd never make it over the Atlantic, that's for sure. Maybe I could go to Canada?"_ I thought. _"But I've heard they're a lot stricter about mutants up there…"_ Ok, there went one option. _"I could head all the way down to Mexico? But I think that's one of the first places they'd look for me. Besides, I can't speak Spanish."_ One last option came to my mind, it was risky, _really _risky, but..."Maybe I could just stay in New York?" I said aloud, as if maybe that would make it sound any less ridiculous.

I think about it for a moment, though. I mean, are they really gonna track me all the way to New York? Also, there are obviously a lot of other mutants in the area, maybe I can blend in. Perhaps there was a reason I had to stop here, a reason for meeting that mutant boy. Well, if I was going to stay here, then that means I need to start school, find some way to make money, a better place to sleep, and make up an excuse why a fourteen year old girl is living on her own. _"Maybe I could contact my parents? Let them know I'm ok?" _No! Stop thinking thoughts like that! If I contact them then someone could trace it back to here, and the last eight months and hundreds—possibly thousands—of dollars would have all been in vain.

First things first, free breakfast. Then, after that, I can go job hunting. If I can find a way to make money, then I can pay for this hotel room until I find a more stable place to stay. Once sleeping arrangements are settled, then I can worry about school. _"Oh, school…how am I supposed to get into school? I can't have them send any transcripts. Then they'll know I'm here," _I worry. Here's where my skills with forgery came in to play. I'll find out what documents they need and make my own. I got this all figured out…I hoped.

...(this means time passes from now on)

Within two days I miraculously manage to secure employment at a nearby fast food restaurant, working with the deep fryer. It didn't pay too well, but it allowed me to continue living in this hotel for a while. I told Mr. Caprice at the front desk that I would need the room for a while longer, but that I wouldn't be able to pay until the end of the month. He smiled warmly and agreed, so long as I don't cause problems. _"That takes care of one issue,"_

Over the next few days I researched some of the public schools in the area. I eventually found one that seemed to offer some of the courses I would enjoy and had some decent reviews. And it was right here in town. Perfect! I spoke with the principal and set an appointment to talk about my enrollment. When I met with her, she inquired as to the fact as why I was only a freshman and living on my own. I made up some sob story that my father was an alcoholic and had kicked me out, and I'd been forced to work at fourteen just to pay the rent, and that all I wanted was an education, and a place where I could relax a little and be a teenager. I guess she bought it, 'cause after that I was filling out papers about electives and giving her a mailing address. She told me I could start on Monday.

I got home, (Hey! Did you hear that? Home! That shabby little hotel room was actually my _home. _How pathetic was I?) grabbed my wallet, and made sure all signs I was a mutant were covered up. Then I went to the store and bought the bare essentials for school: binder, pencils, paper, etc. It wasn't until I looked at backpacks that I thought of something. "_My wings. Hmm…how was I going to hide them?" _A few hours was one thing, but keeping them all wrapped up all day would hurt I might like, stretch them out without even thinking about it. I came up with the idea to buy a backpack and cut out the back of the large pocket, the one closest to my body. That way I could relax them a little and they would remain hidden within the pocket. I got outta there for less than thirty bucks, so I'd qualify this trip as a success.

I could only hope Monday would go as smoothly.

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I sat on the railing of my balcony, staring at the sunset as streaks of orange painted the sky. My tail was swishing calmly behind me, keeping time with the gentle ticking of the seconds hand on the clock on my wall. I hadn't been thinking of the mutant girl as much, but her image still tickled the back of my brain, never truly relinquishing its hold on my consciousness. To be honest, I wasn't so much as wondering who she was now, but more about if she was okay, and what she was doing here.

It was Friday night; usually some of the older, more mischievous students would be sneaking out and going partying or something. I just sat here, lost in thought. And ya know, that really isn't such a bad place to be.

A muffled voice woke me from my thoughts, "Hey Kurt, we're runnin' to the store, you wanna come?" Rogue called from the other side of the door.

"Sure," I called back. "Be right there!" I hopped off the railing and grabbed my watch from my dresser. I slipped it on and watched as I transformed from a blue and furry mutant into a normal looking person via hologram. In the mirror I saw my blue-furred skin turn pale and smooth, my eyes turn a dark blue—the same color as my fur—my tail disappear, and my hands become the normal five-fingered type. _"Gut_ [as in "good" in German, not "gut" like intestine or something]_, everything's hidden," _I thought. I ran outside to meet the others.

...

At the store, we really didn't do much. Most of us wandered around while Scott and Jean _actually_ went shopping. I was hanging around the school supplies section looking for a box of pencils when I looked up and saw…_her._

A girl with dark brown hair and those strange, yet beautiful golden-brown eyes was looking at the backpacks. _"Backpacks?"_ I glanced at the rest of her cart; paper, pens, notebook… it was like she was getting ready to go to school or something. That made me think, _"Is she going to go to school? Ours is the only one in the area…does that mean she'll be going to our school?"_ My heart started beating faster. After another moment I realized I was just staring at this girl and decided to leave before I looked weird.

My heart was going a million miles-an-hour the whole rest of the night. I swore that girl was her. She looked _exactly_ like her, minus the wings and tail. But I assumed she was hiding them because she was in public. _"That _was_ her, wasn't it?" _I prayed it was. She was buying school supplies, so I assumed she was coming to our school._ "Maybe we'll have classes together…" _My tail started swishing all crazy behind me, like it does when I'm happy or excited. I had so many questions brewing in my mind, and I knew how to get them answered. Just wait 'till Monday.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, how'd ya like it? Sorry it was kinda short. Like I said before, it was supposed to be in the next chapter but it got kinda long. Sorry Kurt's kinda just been wondering about Alissa and asking questions and being sort of boring too. I promise it'll get better in the next chapter. I'm not going to make any promises, but it **_**should **_**be up by Monday. So tune in, guys! Thanks again for your reviews. You have no idea how much they mean to me :3 And for those of you who don't review for whatever reason, PLEASE do! Even if it's just a "oh nice job" or "good chapter", please review! And I love constructive criticism! Remember that! Also, to those of you who like this, please check out my other fic "Just A Breeze". It's about The Hunger Games! I've only got one review and I'd really like to see what y'all say! Warning though: Mockingjay spoilers. Ok! So, see ya later!**

**Fly on,**

** Captain Mockingjay**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Thank you **_**so **_**much, TheEmberRaven, Dragoncat, jordylilly777 and Frozenunicorns for the reviews! I know I say it **_**every freaking time**_**, but you just can't imagine how grateful I am. :) So, in this chapter, Alissa's heading to school and…You're gonna have to read the chapter to find out! ;) So what are you still reading this for? Go find out! **

**P.S. Just so you know, my version of Kitty is inspired by the TV show **_**X-Men: Evolution**_**. You'll see more of it in later chapters.**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

I was running around my room in panic mode. Today was my first day of school, and I'd woken up late! School started in only one hour, and I still hadn't done anything! I threw a bowl of soup in the microwave and dashed to the bathroom. I ran a brush through my hair a couple times and stared down at my toothbrush. I didn't have time to brush my teeth, so I went out to the back window, made sure no one was looking, and blasted fire through my mouth to disinfect it. Afterwards I smelled my breath; it smelled kinda like campfire smoke, but better than morning breath. Mission accomplished.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_ The microwave goes off behind me, signaling that my soup's done. I didn't even bother to grab a spoon. I just grabbed the steaming bowl and chugged the soup down in about a minute. Next I ran to my bag and threw a green t-shirt over my head and slid my wings through the slits in the back. I slid a pair of black jeans on and laced up my boots. I grabbed my backpack, trench coat, and a length of cord and checked my clock. _7:42am_. There was no way I could make it there by eight o'clock walking.

I sprint down the stairs two at a time and make a mad dash to the alleys. Once I'm concealed from the rest of the world, I drop the backpack and spread my wings. I grab it again and push off from the ground. I pump my wings as hard and as fast as I can to gain altitude before someone sees me. Once I'm up in the air, I battle the wind currents for speed. A few minutes later, I see the school below me. I found the nearest hiding place across the street, tucked my wings in, and dove down as fast as I could. At the last second I snapped my wings open and glided to the ground.

I took out the cord I'd brought with me and tied my tail around my waist, under my shirt. I can't take any risks today. I'd wanted to wear a hat so I could hide my ears, but I was pretty sure they didn't allow hats at this school. So I just tucked them under my hair. I pulled my wings back under my shirt and pulled the coat on over me. I took my backpack and dashed across the street to school.

I'd just made it inside when the bell rang. _"Late on the first day, crap,"_ I checked the map they'd sent me in the mail along with my schedule. My first class was Geometry. Luckily, it was just around the corner. I hurried down the hall and opened the door.

The teacher stopped mid-lesson and looked at me. "Good morning. You're late," Well, obviously! She had short reddish-brown hair and a pair of cheap looking glasses on.

"I'm sorry. It's my first day, and I got kinda lost," I said, sheepishly.

She glared at me for a moment, sighed, and replied "Oh, you're the new student. Ok, I guess I'll let it go just this once. But don't EVER be late for my class again, young lady!" I nodded. "For today, you can go have a seat in the back there next to Mr. Wagner. He'll catch you up on notes and such."

I took my seat and turned to ask the guy for notes. He had curly black hair and warm, indigo eyes. He had on a long sleeved maroon shirt and dark blue jeans. His face was sweet, yet mischievous. It was almost elf-like. He seemed really familiar, but I didn't know where I could have seen him before. I'd only been there a few days, and I hadn't gotten out much. I leaned over and whispered: "Um...can I borrow your notes?"

"Ja, here you go." He handed me a paper with a bunch of triangles on it.

I noticed he had an odd accent. I really liked it. I took the paper and copied it down. I was checking to see how to do the heading when I noticed his name was Kurt. I slid the paper back on to his desk. "So, Kurt. Where are you from?"

He looked a bit confused for a moment. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your accent, where are you from?"

"Oh. I'm originally from Germany, but I've lived here for a few years now." He smiled again. It seemed so familiar. I swore I'd seen this guy before, but _where? _"So where are you from…?" Kurt asked me. From the pause at the end I guessed he was also looking for my name.

I considered trying to make up some story to hide my identity, but I couldn't think of something quick enough so I just gave up and told the truth. "It's Alissa. I'm from California. I lived like, right by the beach."

"Wow! That's awesome!" he smiled again. Just then, the teacher got up and started a lesson about the Pythagorean Theorem. "Hey, maybe at lunch, you could come hang out with me and mein freunds. We could show you around, and stuff."

"That would be amazing! Thanks!" I turned back to the teacher and started taking down notes, but really, I couldn't help thinking about how _awesome_ my first day of school had been going so far.

After class I waved goodbye to Kurt and headed down the hall to my next class, which was Spanish. I spent the next forty plus minutes of lifelessly repeating the same 20 or so words over and over again, until the bell resurrected me. I groggily trudged to third period, which was English. Luckily, they were only reading _Romeo and Juliet_. I read that last year, so I could really just tune it out and wonder why the heck Kurt Wagner seemed so familiar. Act III ticked by like seconds on a clock and before I knew it, third period was over. I checked my schedule and headed back up the hall to Biology.

When I walked in I handed the teacher my schedule. While she checked to make sure I was in the right room, I looked into the class and saw Kurt again. He saw me and made a big and goofy exaggerated grin and waved. I smiled back.

"Well, Alissa, you're just in time. We were just about to break into groups for labs." The teacher informed me. Then she turned back to the class, "Groups of four, everybody! And I better not here you talking about anything other than science!"

I was just kind of standing there awkwardly waiting to see what group was short a person so I could just slip in, when Kurt called my name and gestured for me to come and sit with him and two other people. I sat down next to Kurt and he introduced me to the other people at the table:

"Alright, so this here is Kitty Pryde," he pointed to the girl sitting across from him. She had pretty brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, and bright blue eyes. She smiled and waved. "And this is Remy LeBeau," I looked at the guy sitting in front of me. He had thick brown hair, a little goatee and a pair of dark sunglasses on. "Guys, this is Alissa. She's new."

"Hey guys," I said

"Hey! Nice to meet you," said Kitty.

"Hello, Cherie," said Remy, with a thick Cajun accent.

I turned and whispered to Kurt, "So, what's with the shades?" Why did _he_ get to wear them inside?

"He's uh…got an eye condition."

"Oh." I felt bad for having asked, but I was curious. "So, what are we studying?"

"Genetic mutations" Kitty told me. She and the others looked at each other like it was some kind of inside joke.

I was suddenly on guard. _"Genetic Mutations? Oh my god, are they gonna find out…"_ I silently prayed that they wouldn't find out that I was a mutant, that all my deformities were covered up, that they didn't smell the smoke on my breath, and that I didn't sneeze. When I sneeze, I can't control the fire, and I usually burn whatever's in front of me. I tried to ignore my growing fear, and they didn't seem to notice.

Over the next forty or so minutes, we managed to finish the lab and even got some free time to talk. Kitty was really sweet and teased Kurt a lot. Remy pulled out a deck of playing cards and played a game of solitaire. Kurt was constantly cracking jokes and making Kitty and I go hysterical. When the lunch bell rang I followed them into the cafeteria.

Kitty ran off to get her lunch from her locker, and Remy ran ahead to sit next to some girl with a white streak in her hair. I followed Kurt through a mass of people and sat down next to some really big guy who was sketching something. Kurt was really cool; we kind of just talked about random things for most of lunch. I found out we had a lot in common. And he had a really pretty smile. After a little, Kitty showed up and nestled in between Kurt and the big guy.

When the bell rang, Kurt showed me to my History class. After another forty minutes of boredom—_"_Why _did I want to come to school, again?"—_I was released and found my way to the Gym for P.E. I was given a locker off in the corner and a large t-shirt and shorts for my uniform. I was glad it was big, so I could hide my wings and the tail curled around my torso. I hid in one of the shower stalls as I changed.

Finally seventh period came by: Graphic Design. Well, at least it was interesting. I whizzed through the class and before I knew it, my first day of school was over. Afterschool I rushed back across the street to spot where I'd landed that morning. I spread my wings and took to the skies, headed for home—er, the hotel, I mean. I thought back to Kurt and how much fun I'd had talking to him. Oddly, I found myself looking forward to school tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I woke up Monday morning in an exceptionally good mood, more anxious then I'd ever been to go to school. I quickly got dressed in a long sleeved maroon shirt and a pair of jeans. I brushed my teeth and teleported down into the kitchen for breakfast. I devoured five or six waffles and had more than my fair share of bacon. I probably would've kept eating more, but when you have _that_ many teenagers around, food goes quickly.

After breakfast, Warren offered to drive some of us to school. I teleported up to my room and grabbed my watch. As I ran out the door I saw something in the corner of my eye. I realized it was myself as I ran past the mirror. All this time wearing the watch and I never got used to seeing myself so…normal. I double checked myself and made sure everything was hidden. Today, of all days, I couldn't screw anything up.

I popped back down before all the seats had been taken. I squished into the seat between Ororo and Piotr. Ororo was telling Forge about some guy she met on the Internet—T'Challa or something like that—while Forge just kinda sat there looking heartbroken. It was _so _obvious he liked her. On my other side Piotr was blushing all crazy while Kitty was flirting with him. It seemed everybody had somebody except me. The thought depressed me. _"Well, who knows? That could all change today…" _my brained reasoned. I could be so overly optimistic sometimes.

It was about a ten minute ride to school, and the only thing I could think about was that girl. I felt so stupid for not even knowing her name. Not that it mattered, because let's face it; I couldn't even remember _my _name when I saw her. _"Maybe she's coming to school today?"_

First period started off as it usually did. Still no signs of the girl. It was about five or so minutes into the class when a figure burst through the door. My heart nearly stopped. One thought kept running through my mind: _"Her…" _From what seemed like miles away I heard the teacher say my name and point to the seat next to mine. _"Dear God, she's coming to sit next to me!" _My heart was going a million miles an hour. I was so glad my tail was invisible because right then, it was thrashing around like crazy.

After she sat down, she leaned over and whispered "Um…can I borrow your notes?" Even something as simple as that sent a shiver down my spine. I really hoped she didn't notice.

I awkwardly mumbled back, "Ja, here you go," and handed her the notes.

After a few minutes she handed me the paper back. "So, Kurt. Where are you from?"

Her sudden question surprised me. I turned to answer her but instead I got caught up staring into those intense eyes. For a moment, my mind froze. Then I remembered that she'd just asked me a question. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your accent, where are you from?" Jeez, those eyes…

"Oh. I'm originally from Germany, but I've lived here for a few years now." _"Ask her something back! Ask her something back!"_ I tried to think of something to say but I was tongue-tied. _"Why does this keep happening?" _To fill the void I smiled awkwardly. "So, where are you from…?" I'd meant to say her name at the end, but I realized that I didn't know it. Hopefully she'll get what I meant.

"It's Alissa. I'm from California. I lived like, right by the beach."

"Wow! That's awesome!" I declared. Then the teacher got up and started some lesson on the Pythagorean Theorem, ending our conversation. I had to say one last thing though, before I lost all my courage. "Hey, maybe at lunch, you could come hang out with me and mein freunds. We could show you around, and stuff."

"That would be amazing! Thanks!" Her smile was incredible.

As the periods rolled by, my excitement for lunch time kept growing. When fourth period came around, I was ecstatic to see Alissa joining our class. Trying to get her attention, I grinned all big and goofy and waved. She smiled back, so I guess it worked.

When we started out labs I invited her over to sit with Kitty, Remy and I. She sat next to me and the smell of campfire smoke filled my nostrils. I introduced her to Kitty and Remy. They seemed to like her. (Especially Remy, but he likes every girl he sees.) After the lab, Kitty, Alissa and I started talking while Remy played a game of solitaire. I started cracking a few jokes and I got Alissa to laugh. It was one of the best sounds I'd heard in my life.

When the lunch bell rang we all filed into the cafeteria. Alissa didn't have a lunch, and I wasn't hungry, which was unusual for me. Kitty went off to get her lunch from her locker and Remy ran a head to snag a seat next to Rogue. Most of the X-Men tended to gather together, so we had two or three tables everyday pushed together and chock full of mutants. As usual, Scott and Jean were flirting, Forge was chatting with Sean, Ororo was on her phone, probably talking with that T'Challa guy via Facebook, Piotr was sketching something, Jean-Paul was trying to make conversation with Bobby, who was too busy flirting with Lorna and so forth. I mentally sighed, _"That's my family!"_

Alissa and I went over and sat down by Piotr. We just started talking about some random small stuff, and loved it. Hearing her voice was so…comforting, I guess? I don't know how to describe it, but I just liked it. Kitty ran up and wedged between Piotr and me, and started watching him draw. Lunch went really smooth. Alissa and I kept talking, and when the bell rang I showed her where her next class was.

For the rest of the day I felt as if I were walking on air. I found out Alissa had the same P.E. period as me, although she had a different teacher. She and I had really hit it off, but there was one question still running through my mind…_"What would she do if she knew I was the mutant from the Sentinel attack?"_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! First day of school's over! Sorry it took so long. I had to make it perfect :) And yeah, I realize this chapter's kinda long :/ Tell me what you think! Also, about Remy's shades, they're there because he's got those red eyes he's trying to hide. Just to clarify, I'm not confusing him with Scott :) I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'm hoping it'll be soon.**

**Fly on,**

**Captain Mockingjay**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry it's taken so long. Hope no one's lost interest. Thank you, Frozenunicorns, TheEmberRaven, jordyilly777, and Dragoncat for your reviews! So, I think this story was getting a tad more dramatic than I'd hoped for so far, so I'm going to liven things up with what I hope is a sort of funny chapter. I know some of these characters are sort of OOC, but I don't really care. If it bothers you, don't read it.**

**Ok! Go! Read! Now!**

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I'm pretty sure I had a silly grin on my face the rest of the day. Afterschool I hopped in the back of Warren's car next to Kitty. Rogue was in the seat next to her.

"Hey, guys! Did anyone get the English homework? I forgot to copy it down." I said. The girls were staring at me with an amused and slightly "aww" expression. "What?" I asked.

And they giggled! Even Rogue! _"Am I missing something?"_

"So, Kurt, who's th—what's tickling my leg?" Kitty cut herself off and looked down at her legs.

"Oh! Sorry, that's probably mein tail." I pressed a button on my watch and the fabricated image of me disappeared. Sure enough, my fuzzy blue tail was beside Kitty's leg. How did I not notice? "Sorry Kitty. Uh, what were you saying?"

"Oh, so, I was like, who's that new girl?" Kitty wiggled her eyebrows. Rogue was looking out the window and not saying anything, but she did have a slight grin on her face.

I thanked God for my fur, because it hid my blush. "Oh, you mean Alissa?" Kitty nodded, but gave an expression like she was looking for more. "Well, I met her in my first period class…" my heart was going a million miles an hour, pounding in my chest. I can't believe she didn't hear it. "She's new to the school, and the teacher asked me to fill her in on notes and stuff. Later in the day, I figured she needed a friend, so I told her to hang out with us. Is there something wrong with that?" I questioned, hoping my fur wouldn't reveal the nervous sweat that was beginning to bead on my forehead.

"Nope. Absolutely nothing wrong with that." Kitty still had a mischievous smile on her face. Did she think there was something going on between Alissa and me? Seriously? I'd _just _met her today!

The rest of the car ride was an awkward silence

…

Pretty much everybody's rides arrived home at the same time. Kitty, Rogue and I with Warren, Scott and Jean drove home alone, Logan drove Alex, Piotr, and Megan home, and Betsy drove Ororo, Sean, Forge, and Rahne home, and I guess the rest were walking. I was the first to rush inside, eager to get away from all my friends giving me those "aww" looks. _"Why is it such a big deal? I met a new person, so what?"_

"Hey, fuzzy! What's the hurry?" Sarah, also known as Marrow, stepped in front of me, blocking my path. She was one of the few young mutants who didn't go to school, but rather were homeschooled by Xavier. She stayed here because she had no way to hide all the spikes coming out of her body. Even with an image inducer, the spikes were still there and could hurt someone. Hank McCoy stayed home too, but not because he's a furry blue ape, but because he graduated high school early. Lucas Bishop didn't go to school either, he…well, let's just say he's not a people person.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I've just got a lot of homework and I _really _need to go to the bathroom." I lied.

"If you're in such a hurry, why don't you just bamf up there now?"

"Good idea," and I was gone in a puff of smoke.

I collapsed on my bed and started staring at the ceiling. There was no doubt someone was going to bring her up at dinner. And I was frustrated that they were making such a big deal about me simply meeting a new person. I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, calming myself.

I started thinking about the mutant from the Sentinel attack, and then about Alissa, trying to make sure they were the same person. From some of the stuff we talked about at lunch, I realized she was in a really tough place, whatever it was, and I know she needed help. If she _was_ the same person, we could probably take her in. I just wanted to make sure she was safe.

I sat up and pulled out my math book and began scrawling down numbers. And I found it very odd that all these inequalities seemed to be less than three…

About an hour or so later, Betsy called us down for dinner. I teleported down to the seat beside where Rogue always sat and gazed eagerly over the food. I piled my plate high with various seasoned vegetables and buttered rolls and a huge slab of juicy meat. I was nearly drooling in anticipation. Once the plate was stuffed beyond recognition, I dug in ravenously, practically shoveling this delicious food into my mouth. About half way through my delightful feast, someone, I wasn't sure who, but definitely one of the girls, spoke up.

"So, Kurt met a new girl today,"

"Really? What she look like?" Logan asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I coughed and spit my food out onto my plate. "What? What kind of question is that?"

"Sorry. Just trying figure out what drew you to her, that's all. Calm down, elf."

I coughed once more before I spoke again in a calmer voice. "Actually, what drew me to her was that I'm pretty sure she's a mutant."

A couple of the kids that had met her looked at me like "what?"

"So Kurt, you think there may be a new mutant at your school?" the Professor asked.

I nodded.

"And what would make you think that?" He asked me again.

"Well…" and I told the entire population of the Institute about my encounter with her during the attack and how she'd saved my life, and then how Alissa looked exactly like her and she seemed to be hiding something. I _did_, however, leave out the part where I thought she was really pretty. I'd gotten teased enough.

"I don't know, Kurt. It's a bit of a stretch to think this mutant you saw now happens to be going to your school," said Hank. A few others nodded in agreement.

"I agree, but there's still a possibility. Unfortunately, Cerebro is undergoing repairs, so I can't check to see if she _is _a mutant," said the Professor, scratching his chin. "Perhaps you children could observe her a little more at school, get to know her before we make any final judgments."

I nodded. "Professor, if she _is_ a mutant, I really feel that we should take her in. From what I can tell, she's living on her own and she's only fourteen…"

"Of course, Kurt. After all, that is why I built this place. To give young mutants a save home," the Professor answered.

I smiled, and when back to eating. But for some reason, I wasn't too hungry anymore. After dinner I teleported up to my room and fell into a deep, relaxing sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV (A few weeks later)<strong>

It had been about three weeks since I'd started going to school and had met Kurt. In that time, we'd become really close. He introduced me to his friends, all of which lived with him at some boarding house or something nearby. Almost every day we sat with them at lunch, but we usually sat by Remy, Anna Marie (who preferred to be called Rogue and happened to be Kurt's adoptive sister), Kitty, and Piotr (he was that big guy we'd sat by on my first day).

It was a Friday when Kurt and the rest of us were all sitting around the table, laughing our heads off at absolutely nothing. It was then that I realized what good friends I'd made in such a short time. Then that upcoming three-day weekend would arrive and I'd be sitting at "home", moping, probably thinking about the friend I'd left behind so many months ago. Then I'd probably try to cheer myself up by thinking about all the _new_ friends I'd made and I'd start missing them as I awaited Monday.

Almost as if she'd read my mind, the redheaded girl Jean Grey spoke up: "Hey! Alissa, you know what? We should all hang out this weekend! Go grab lunch or something. What do you say?" The rest of the gang all nodded with various shouts of "Yeah!" or "Cool!" or something like that.

I didn't know why I hadn't thought of that. What an amazing idea! "Sure! That sounds awesome!"

"Great! How about we pick you up at like, noon tomorrow?"

"Perfect!" I gave Jean the address of the hotel I stayed at and my room number.

…

The next morning, I made sure I was ready early. I didn't want to get caught without my coat on and my wings exposed or my tail out or anything like that. It was about 12:04; I was watching reruns of the first season of _Pokémon _when someone knocked on my door. I double checked myself in the mirror that everything was covered up and grabbed my key card and a twenty dollar bill off the desk. When I picked up the folded bill, something slipped out from inside of it. It was that business card that blue guy gave me a while ago. I stood for a moment, wondering if I should take it with me. The person outside knocked again, so I just shoved it in my pocket and ran to the door.

Kurt was standing outside and smiled when I opened the door.

"Sorry, I was in the bathroom," I lied.

"Don't worry about it. Come on, the van's downstairs."

Van? Please. There was an army of cars in the parking lot below. At least four cars, probably more, were packed full of teenagers that waved and shouted greetings at me when I got downstairs. I waved back and followed Kurt to the large van in the front.

Kurt tried to open the shotgun door, but Bobby Drake was already sitting there. He rolled down the window and wiggled a finger at Kurt. "Uh-uh! Get in the back, bro!"

Kurt sighed, but I guess it was just for effect, because he was still smiling and hopped in the backseat beside Forge. I climbed in next to him, said hi to Bobby and Forge, and buckled my seatbelt.

"Everyone in?" said the driver. He was a very attractive blonde man who looked to be in his early twenties.

"Yep!" I squeaked.

The car ride to the restaurant was about ten minutes long. Bobby and Kurt exchanged jokes and insults at each other while Forge and I just laughed our heads off. I also learned that the guy driving us was Warren Worthington. The third to be exact. Apparently he and his family were super rich or something and helped fund the boarding house all these guys lived in. He was pretty cool. I liked him. There was also, and this sounded so strange in my head, a familiar _smell_ to him. Something like…I wanted to say feathers, but I thought it must be something else, because that was too strange.

When we arrived at the big Mexican restaurant, Kurt introduced me to a man who had been driving one of the other cars. This guy was bald, and had the most amazing wheelchair I'd ever seen. Kurt introduced him as Professor Charles Xavier, the guy who ran their boarding house.

"_Xavier…why does that name seem so familiar?" _I asked myself. I fingered the card in my pocket, and then I remembered the name of the place it was for. _The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters_. This had to be a coincidence, didn't it?

Inside the restaurant, the waiter led us to an area at the back, near the kitchen, where four or five tables had all be pushed together to accommodate all of us. I sat on the end, across from Kurt, and beside Jean-Paul. Kurt quickly introduced me to the rest of the adults I hadn't met; there was Betsy Braddock, a pretty Asian woman with purplish hair, and Emma Frost, a blonde woman dressed in a low-cut shirt with a white leather jacket over it.

I grabbed the menu and started looking for something cheap when Warren asked me something.

"Huh?" I hadn't heard him.

"I was asking you how you like it here," he repeated.

"Oh. I like it here a lot, actually. It's definitely an improvement from where I was before."

"And where was that?" Xavier asked me.

"Um…" I tried to remember the lie I'd made up to the principal. "Well, my father…he was an alcoholic…and…" I tried to make my eyes tear up, for affect. After a dramatic pause worthy amount of time, I felt the sting of tears in the backs of my eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'd rather not talk about it right now." I sniffled.

"Oh, I- I'm so sorry…" said the Professor. He seemed genuinely sorry, too.

"It's ok…don't worry about it…"

A moment later the waitresses arrived with big baskets of chips and little cups of salsa. Kurt triumphantly shouted "YES!" and dug into the chips. I stopped one of the waitresses to ask for extra hot salsa. Kurt looked up at me with an "are you kidding me?" face and a mouthful of chips.

"What?" I questioned him.

He swallowed before answering. "You've obviously never been here before. Their medium salsa is so hot, it's like it's from the sun."

"Tell me about it! I can't stand the stuff." Bobby chimed in. He wasn't even having the mild stuff the waitresses had set out and was instead eating just plain chips.

"Oh, whatever! It's just salsa!" Just then, the waitress came back with a cup of extra hot salsa. I grabbed a chip and placed a generous amount of salsa on it before chomping down. Thanks to my mutation that protects me from heat, even heat from spicy things, I barely felt any spiciness at all. "See! Barely anything! You guys are such wimps!"

There was a unanimous gasp from the group. "Give her a sec, she's _gotta_ feel that!" Alex Summers said.

I took another bite just to astonish them. They gasped again.

"Nothing?" Kurt asked, truly amazed.

"Nothing!" I said. Sometimes, I loved my mutation. I get funny reactions like this from people.

When the waitresses came back to take our orders, I asked for a fajita with extra jalapeños and Kurt got some huge burrito thing. While we waited for our food, Kurt tried some of my salsa. Just smelling the stuff made his eyes water. He put just a dab of the stuff on a chip, bit into it, and after he chugged down more than half of his water. His eyes were tearing up like crazy. "BOBBY!" He screamed, I don't know why.

Bobby glanced at the professor, who gently nodded. "Kurt, down here," he called from down the table, motioning for Kurt to come down to him.

Kurt rushed down to Bobby and leaned in close to him. Because of the way people were sitting, I couldn't see what happened. But everyone else laughed. When he came back, he seemed to be feeling better.

"What was that for?" I asked, puzzled.

"He's uh…got these mints that cure spiciness."

"Uh-huh," was all I could think to say. _Something_ more interesting must have gone one, judging by the way everyone laughed. I decided to question him further about a possible bromance with Bobby later.

Then the food arrived.

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV (Where Alissa left off)<strong>

Thank God the Professor let Bobby use his ice powers on my mouth. I was surprised that salsa wasn't on fire, it was so hot! She _had_ to be a mutant. There was NO WAY a normal person could handle that heat.

Anyway, shortly after I sat back down, the food arrived. Alissa's fajita was still sizzling, and she just dumped the rest of her über hot salsa on it, slapped it on a tortilla, and ate it. My jaw dropped.

"So you like, not feel heat or something?"

Alissa stopped mid-bite. Her eyes opened wide and her entire body tensed. She put the tortilla back down on her plate, wiped her mouth, and looked at me. "No, of course I feel heat. I just like spicy stuff, ok?" She said. I couldn't identify her tone. Somewhere between angry, fearful, and pleading?

"Ok. Sorry," was what I said, but _"Jeez, she's easily offended," _is what I thought.

The next few minutes were pretty much silent on our part. The silence between us was starting to get uncomfortable, so I tried to make _some sort _of conversation. "So uh…did _you_ happen to get what the English homework was? Nobody will tell me."

"Yeah, we're supposed to evaluate and identify various rhetorical devices in Antony's speech from _Julius Caesar_ or something stupid like that."

Just then, Remy and Rogue walked up on either side of me. I turned to look at Rogue on my right side as she said "So, Bobby just wanted us to tell you that he's all out of those 'mints' to cure spiciness." She was laughing as she said that last part.

"Um…ok, that's nice. Thanks." I turned back to my burrito and took a large bite of it. The entire group burst into uncontrollable laughter. _"What the…?"_ And then it hit me. Remy was doubled over laughing, but he had an empty salsa cup in his hand.

Just as the intense fiery pain hit me, I started crying and got up and screamed "OH MY GOD! THIS FREAKING HURTS!"

But my screams of pain were drowned out by a much louder sound. Juggernaut just broke through the wall, into the restaurant.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! Long chapter! Hopefully that makes up for how long I made you guys wait. Sorry about that. I'll try to be more on top of things :) Be prepared for a fight scene next time! So, please review and tell me what you think of the chapter, suggestions, improvements I could make, etc. Oh! And would you guys prefer I try to write funnier like this, or that I went back to the more dramatic stuff? Thanks, guys!**

**Fly on,**

**Captain Mockingjay**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you, TheEmberRaven, Dragoncat, and littleb98 for your reviews! I'd like to note that I may be taking a little (intentional) time off from this story to take care of a few little one-shots running through my head. When I'm done with them, then I can focus more on this! Oh, and sorry about Ch. 5. It kind of sucked, in my opinion. I wrote it in a rush. :/**

***My version of the Juggernaut is probably a lot weaker than he's supposed to be, but I kinda need him that way…I'm not sure if he is, actually. Hope it doesn't make anyone angry.**

**Ok, here it is guys, my first attempt at a real fight scene! :D *Warning. This is a **_**loooong**_** chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

"Run! Kurt, run!" I screamed, pulling on Kurt's wrists. I had to get him out of there. He was just a little human. He didn't stand a chance. My wings were fidgeting under my coat, itching to break free and get me out of here.

I, on the other hand…well, maybe if I got all the people out of here, I could stand a chance against this guy. That'd mean I'd reveal myself though, and then I'd have to leave. But it was worth it if it meant I could save my friends.

But Kurt wouldn't budge. As much as I pulled on him, he just sat there. So did the rest of our group, with their eyes wide in fear and their jaws dropped open. I pulled again, but Kurt wrenched his hand from mine. He turned and grabbed _my _wrists, and stared me straight in the eye.

"Alissa, I need you to get out of here _right now_," he demanded. His eyes were pleading, fearful.

"And you're coming with me! All of you! We _need_ to get out of here!" I tried to pull myself out of his grasp, but his grip was like iron. _"Why won't he let me go?"_

"Alissa!" he screamed, "Alissa! You _have_ to listen to me!" His dark blue irises gave me an intense stare. You could see the fear in those eyes. But behind the fear, there was something else... Anger? Excitement? I couldn't tell. Maybe it was just the adrenaline. "Alissa, we need you to go. Get out of here, go somewhere safe. We'll be right behind you, I promise."

There was no way I was going to move them.

I dashed down the hall towards the back door. Just as I was pushing the glass door open, something caught my eye. There was a row of payphones in the hallway beside the bathrooms. An idea flashed into my head. It was a long shot-a _really_ long shot- but it just might work.

I dug through my pocket for the card. I pulled a quarter out of my pocket and thrust it into the machine. The blue mutant boy's voice rang through my mind, _"If you ever need anything, just give us a call, alright?"_ I punched in the number and prayed for a response. I started to fidget, becoming more terrified with each passing second. People were swarming around me, stampeding for the exits, terrified of the mutant monster that had invaded. I could hear the phone ringing as I waited for an answer.

"You've reached the Xavier Institute, what can we do for ya, bub?" I gruff voice calls from the other end of the phone. It was definitely a man's voice, scruffy and rough, sort of how one would picture a biker's voice. There was an explosion on the other end, and the man's voice called to someone else, "Hank! Quit it! I'm on the phone!" There was some distant mumbles on the other end, then silence. On my end I was shaking, tears started to well up in my eyes. I _needed _to talk to this guy.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" The man asked.

My voice quivered, "Th-there's been an attack. O-on the Mexican restaurant downtown. There's this huge man, and he's—"

The gruff man interrupted me. "Whoa, kid, I think you got the wrong number. If somebody's attacking the restaurant, you should call the police. There's nothing we can do to help you."

"Yes there is! I saw you guys a couple weeks ago. When those robot things attacked. You guys fought them off! And one of you gave me this stupid card and told me to call you if I needed anything. Well, I need something now! There's a," I lowered my voice to a barely audible whisper, "a _mutant_ attacking this place. I can't fend it off. Not for long. I _need _help. From one mutant to another, _please_ come help us. My friends refuse to leave. And I'm scared. _Please! _We're running out of time!"

The man sighed on the other end. Just before he hung up, I heard him shout "marrow" on the other end, whatever that meant. Then the phone clicked off. I'd wasted too much time. No help was coming. _I_ had to do something. I glanced back at my friends. Kurt, Piotr, Bobby, Rahne, and that Warren guy were all gone. All the remaining people were huddled in a circle, save for the professor. And there was a huge, gaping hole in the side of the building. Panic set in.

"_That's it. This has gone too far."_ I dashed out the back door and around the corner. With every step I took my wings were inching their way out of my coat.

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

"_I can't believe this is happening. Not here, not now."_ A thousand emotions flooded through me when Juggernaut burst through the other end of the restaurant. The first thing that happened were my instincts kicking in. I stood calm, my entire body tensed, waiting to strike on command. My eyes were wide with shock at this whole turn of events. _"Why was he here? Why now? What does he want?"_ It was a while before I noticed Alissa pulling on my wrists.

"Run, Kurt! Run!" I turned to see her. I don't think she noticed the tears streaming down her face, and the look of panic in her eyes. Was it just me, or was the back of her jacket…moving? I pushed the thought aside. _"I don't have time for this now!"_

I pulled my wrists from her grasp and grabbed hers, making sure she was facing me. Mutant or not, she was in danger. I had to get her out of here, whatever the costs. If I had to freaking _teleport _her out of there myself, I would. I couldn't risk her getting hurt. The very thought terrified me. "Alissa, I need you to get out of here_ right now_." My tone was forceful, but hopefully not too demanding. It didn't even dawn on me that she might be able to feel my fur on her wrists.

"And you're coming with me! All of you! We _need _to get out of here!" She was trying to free herself from my grip, but to little avail. She seemed so scared, pleading.

"_She's so brave,"_ I thought. _"She wants to get us out of here. But we can't. 'Cause we're damn superheroes."_ Sometimes this whole "hero" thing really sucked. I heard another crash as Juggernaut smashed through another wall. He was remarkably slow today. I wondered if he'd forgotten his coffee.

I squeezed her wrists ever so slightly to get her attention. "Alissa! Alissa! You _have _to listen to me!" I drove my gaze into hers. She _needed _to understand this. I couldn't repeat it. Mostly for lack of time, but also because I just couldn't. Juggernaut was slowly making his way closer, flipping tables and smacking through walls to other rooms. _"What is he looking for?"_ The rush of battle was welling up inside me. Every inch was tingling, ready to fight.

"Alissa, we need you to go. Get out of here, go somewhere safe. We'll be right behind you, I promise." I hated lying to her. Hopefully she'd leave before she noticed we weren't there. My thoughts were silently pleading that she'd fall for it.

She lingered for a moment, granting me one last gaze into those deep, golden-brown eyes. She dashed to the back door and out of sight. It hurt, seeing her run away like that, even though I'd been the one telling her to. Inside, though, I was glad she was running from danger, and not running from me.

"Warren!" the Professor shouted. "Get back to the mansion and get the rest of the team. We can't fight. We can't reveal ourselves here like this. They'll be prepared."

Warren nodded and started running to a window. But he stopped and turned back to Xavier. "Professor, should I drive or…?" He slowly started pulling his coat off.

"Don't drive, there's not enough time." Angel took this as an OK and stripped off his coat, revealing his huge white wings. He leapt out the window and took off into the skies, out of sight, before anyone noticed.

The Professor turned his gaze on the rest of us. _"Piotr, Bobby, Kurt, and Rahne: I want you four to suit up and take on Juggernaut. You're some of the least recognizable when you're 'powered up'. Get somewhere hidden and get dressed. Get back soon. Jean, I want you to keep him busy with a force field while they're getting ready. The rest of you, keep Jean hidden."_ All of us had heard his telepathic directions. Betsy handed Piotr, Bobby, Rahne and me our neatly folded suits and we took off for a secluded changing spot.

We were about to go to the bathrooms when I spotted Alissa on one of the payphones nearby. I put my hand up and quietly direct the team out the back door. We dashed around the corner and skidded to a stop. I shut off my image inducer as we all turned our backs to each other. We'd done these rush suit changes before and were done in seconds. Bobby covered himself in a case of ice armor, Piotr turned to his hulking metal form, and Rahne transformed into a wolf. I teleported them to the roof, just as Juggernaut was pounded through a wall be an unseen force, a.k.a. Jean.

"NOW!" Colossus yelled and leapt off the roof, arms raised, ready to smash Juggernaut on the head. Juggernaut just raised his arm and flicked him away like he was an annoying fly. He crashed to the ground in a metallic heap. Iceman froze an icy slide and slid down, attempting to freeze the enemy where he stood. For a moment, it seemed to work. Wolfsbane slid down his slide after him and lunged herself at Cain's helmet, attempting to take it off. But the brute broke free of Bobby's icy hold and flung Rahne across the parking lot.

"You pesky X-Men!" Juggernaut bellowed. "Now," he smiled cruelly, "where's the one I want?"

"_The one he wants?"_

Wolfsbane's fearful howl brought me to my senses. I teleported and caught her in midair. I 'ported us back to the ground and set her down. I think she had a few bruised ribs, but luckily Cain hadn't hit her too bad. She let loose a battle growl and charged back toward the attacker. I teleported to Juggernaut's back and tried in vain to remove his helmet. He swung his arm back to try to grab me, but I easily dodged his fist. Rahne snapped at his ankles, causing him to stumble and slip on a watery patch of melted ice. _"Thank you, Bobby!"_ I must remember to verbally thank him later.

I landed in a crouch and quickly tried to assess the situation. Juggernaut had slipped and stumbled forward, barely catching himself. He turned his ugly head up and saw me. His face split into a cruel grin; eyes narrowing, like a lion coming in for the kill.

"There you are," he sneered.

"_What the—"_

My mental confusion was cut off my Colossus slamming into Cain's side. He took his giant metal fist and slammed powerfully into Juggernaut's head. Wolfsbane and Iceman were already at his side, tugging at his helmet.

"Here! Let me try!" I shouted and rushed over to them. Piotr slammed his fist into the Juggernaut's face again, causing the man to blackout (well, we hoped he was blacked out). I grabbed the helmet and tried to teleport away with it. It was a long shot, but we had to try something. Unfortunately, it did nothing but teleport the guy five feet off the ground, helmet still attached. He crashed to the ground and his eyes bolted open.

"_Uh-oh."_

He sat up and grabbed me with his gigantic hands. His grip tightened around my chest, making it hard to breathe. Another evil smile spread across his face. A deep, triumphant chuckle rose from his throat, followed by "Gotcha." But out of nowhere a thin, sharp projectile rocketed out and pierced itself in Cain's arm. He winced but didn't cry out or loosen his grip at all. If anything, it tightened. Simultaneously, we turned in the direction the object had come from. Standing proudly in the parking lot was Marrow, readying another bone spike to launch at the attacker. Beast was behind her, fur rippling along his back as he prepared for a fight. Wolverine was beside him, adamantium claws out and at the ready.

"You'd better let go of him now, bub. Or you're gonna regret it," Logan threatened, brandishing his claws.

Cain only chuckled. "Fine. I've got time for more games." He dropped me on the ground and charged toward the X-Men.

I tried to focus on the fight going on around me, but the lack of oxygen had made my vision fuzzy. My heart was pounding in my chest; both from fear and just to rush blood to the rest of my body that had been cut off from Juggernaut's hold. Breathing was painful and came in short, gasped breaths. _"Mein Gott, I'm so useless! All I've done is wake him up and almost get myself killed!"_ I couldn't get myself in the mind frame of battle. There was something else that was keeping me from focusing. I don't know what, though.

My thoughts were interrupted as a dark shadow passed overhead. The unmistakable, rhythmic _thrump, thrump _of beating wings could be heard close by. My clouded mind went crazy, _"Is it her? That mutant girl from before?"_ My heart started to beat ever so slightly faster (if that was possible) as the thought entered my mind.

Shimmering white wings and a familiar blonde head descended from the sky, shattering my hopes. Although, I _was _happy to see Warren. It meant he'd gotten back to the mansion safely and had brought everyone here. Now, maybe, we had a chance at Juggernaut.

"Nightcrawler, are you alright?" Angel asked, clasping my arm and gently pulling me forward into a seated position.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I muttered. My vision was clearing, but blue spots still danced in my sight. I didn't want to just sit there, though. I had to make myself useful _somehow._ I turned to Angel, "Watch my back, I'm going in."

He nodded and took to the skies. I was careful in calculating my next move. My last idea had failed miserably, so I had to be extra careful with this one. I took a deep, slow breath and teleported on Juggernaut's back. I instantly felt nauseated. My muscles ached and my vision fogged up again. I had to do this quick. I didn't have the strength to teleport again. He roared and turned, but I was out of his reach this time. I found the clasps and hurriedly pulled off his helmet. I could almost feel the anger boiling up inside him. He socked Beast in the face once more before twisting his body violently, causing me to lose my grip and fall onto the concrete, slamming my head in the process. The outside of my vision started to go black. My body started to go numb.

"That's it. I'm done with this crap." Cain growled. He picked up my limp frame and slid his helmet back on. He swung me over his shoulder and started to plod away when—

"Get out of here!" a female voice screamed.

"_Marrow? Wolfsbane?"_

An intense heat could be felt along my back, followed by Juggernaut's pained scream. He stumbled back a few steps, and a voice I _did_ recognize shouted "Guys! Back up! I got this!"

I opened my eyes just wide enough to see Bobby slide by and ice the ground behind Cain. He slipped and flopped backwards. Just before my head hit the ground again, strong arms lifted me up and into the wind. I knew I must be flying, because it wasn't that windy out. Steady wing beats and tired panting could be heard above the wind.

"Angel?" I asked weakly. I meant to thank him.

"I…I'm not an angel," a female voice stuttered back.

I tried to open my eyes, but all I could see was a very blurry mass of dark hair. Then my eyes closed again and everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>Angel POV (very short, don't expect more of this)<strong>

After Xavier had sent me off, I double timed it back to the mansion. Luckily, no one had seen me leave the restaurant. Despite the pressure of the situation, I couldn't help but sigh. Flying was so freeing, so calming; even if it was as rushed as this. With the sun at my back and the wind in my feathers… I pitied all the people who would never know this sensation.

As soon as Xavier's loomed in my sight, , I tucked my wings in and rushed into a dive, only snapping my wings out just before I collided with the concrete. I sprinted inside and began calling for Logan, who had stayed home with the kids who weren't going to lunch.

"Logan! Logan! C'mon, suit up! We got an attack in town!" I called.

"Warren? Is that you?" Logan was running down one of the halls, his X-Men suit in his arms. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for you guys! Gather the team; Juggernaut attacked the restaurant we were at and is destroying the place. We have to go!"

The Canadian gave me a confused look, "Yeah…I know. We got a call a few minutes ago from some girl down there saying the same thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said she was a mutant. And she got our number from a business card or something? Do you know if anyone's been giving something like that out?" He inquired.

I shook my head. "I can't say that I have. We can ask the students later. But right now, we have to go!" I stepped past him and ran a few steps up the stairs. "Guys! Suit up! We gotta go!"

Logan stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "But Warren, she said she knew us from the robot attack."

I stared back at him, I little shocked. _"But I thought the Professor had erased everyone's memories of that day?"_ Is it possible that he could have overlooked this girl? Possibly because she is a mutant?

Marrow and Beast stepped out of their respective rooms and dashed down the hall, already suited up. Sarah just stared at me, a little annoyed. "Like he said, we already head about this. We're almost ready to go, so could you just grab the keys and get in the van, please?"

I nodded. I took the keys off the table and waved my arm for Marrow and Beast to follow. By the time we got in the van, Logan was already suited up and in the garage. I had my suit and was quickly changing in the back.

"So where's Bishop?" I asked, pulling my shirt off over my head.

Sarah answered without turning around, "He's sick. Decided to stay home rather than risk getting hurt or hurting us."

Wolverine jumped in the driver's seat and took the keys from Beast. A slightly evil smile spread across his lips, "Let's go kick some butt."

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

When I was out of sight, I reached under my shirt and untied the cord that had held my wings down and my tail around my waist. My wings swooshed open through the slits in my coat. Fully extended, they were about twelve or thirteen feet long. I did my best to hide myself by pulling the collar of the coat up around my face, but it really wasn't much. I didn't even realize it, but my tail was flicking anxiously back and forth behind me.

I turned around the corner and saw that huge monster guy fighting off some very odd looking people. Not that I was one to talk. There was another huge guy (not as big as helmet-head over here, but still rather large) made of metal and some other guy that looked like he was made of ice. Then there was this reddish-brown colored wolf sprinting around snapping at helmet-head's ankles. Helmet-head had something gripped in his oversized fist. At first, I couldn't tell what it was, but as I looked a little closer I recognized the blue furry mutant from the robot attack. He was squeezing him; even from this far away I could see blue-boy starting to go limp.

I was about to get up and do something, but some sharp projectile flew out of nowhere and stabbed helmet-head in the wrist. When he turned to face his attacker, from my angle I could see three new figures. There was some girl with pinkish hair and spikes all over her body, a big, blue, and furry guy, sort of like the demon-dude, except he looked more ape-like. And sort of feline at the same time, I don't know. And he was far larger and muscular. Then there was another guy on the other side of spike-chick. He was thick and muscular, and had three knives in each of his hands. In fact, it looked as if they were coming out of the backs of his hands. But what mutation causes _metal_ to grow out of you?

"You'd better let go of him now, bub. Or you're gonna regret it," Mr. Knife-guy said, brandishing said weapons.

"Fine. I've got time for more games," Helmet-head chuckled. He dropped blue-boy and charged at the new group of mutants.

I was about to run to blue's aid, but a bright figure glided down from the sky. A man with shimmering blonde hair and huge, angelic white wings touched down beside him and helped him up. I heard them talking to each other, but I couldn't make out what was said. _"It's such a strange sight to see, the angel and the demon,"_ I thought. Guilt quickly overcame me for even comparing that mutant boy to a demon. I mentally slapped myself. Who am _I_ to judge him when I look like this? How cruel can I be?

Self-consciousness caused my tail to absently wrap around my leg. I hated thinking about my appearance. It's just a constant, sick reminder that I'll never be like anyone else. I may think like them, act like them, talk like them, get the same feelings they do, but I will _never_ be one of them. They won't allow it. _I_ won't allow it. I won't burden them with my freakish mutant-ness. They don't want me, so I won't force them to.

Distracted by my thoughts, I missed what had gone on in the fight I was supposed to be fighting. I looked up and saw that helmet-head had blue-boy slung over his shoulder. Fuzzy looked passed out and half-dead; drool dripped out of his mouth. I steeled myself, _"No self-pity right now. If I'm going to be stuck with these powers, I might as well use them."_

I snapped my wings open and shot into the air. Most of the other mutants looked like they were trying to stage a group attack on the brute, and Mr. Heavenly (the angel guy) looked about ready to dive into him. I had to get them far enough away if my plan was going to work. I didn't have full control of my powers once I set them free. I didn't want to hurt any of them; they were the good guys, here.

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "Get out of here!" Hopefully they'd get the warning. I turned over and tucked my wings in, diving straight towards helmet-head's face. At the last second I snapped my wings open and thrust my feet forward, so I was nearly perpendicular to the big guy. My jaw snapped open and I let loose a shower of flames into his face. He wailed in pain, and stumbled backwards.

Popsicle-Man slid over on an icy slide. "Guys! Back up! I got this!" Streams of ice shot from his hands, freezing the ground behind helmet-head. He slipped and fell backwards in what seemed like slow-motion.

I saw where this was going. He was about to crush blue-boy's head between himself and the concrete. I dropped down and grabbed him an instant before he would have been squished. He was lighter than I would have expected, seeing as how he was pretty muscular. I took him up into the sky with me, looking for a safe place to put him down. With all the adrenaline in me, not to mention the fear and anger, my heart was pounding fast in my chest, causing me to pant. I really shouldn't be that tired, I hadn't done much, but I felt tired.

He stirred ever so slightly in my arms. In a weak voice, he muttered, "Angel?"

The question took me by surprise. Not once in my life had I ever been compared to an angel. A demon, yes. A monster, yes. But never an angel. How was I supposed to respond to that? The guy must have thought he was dying. Maybe he was.

"I…I'm not an angel," I stuttered. What was I supposed to say?

He struggled to open his eyes. Bright, golden irises peaked out from behind squinted blue eyelids. But the next moment, they were shut again and he passed out.

I was desperately searching for somewhere safe to put him where his teammates could still find him. I caught something on the edge of my peripheral vision, but was too distracted to investigate and absently dismissed it as my own wing.

Needless to say, I was startled when a voice spoke out next to me. "You can bring him over here to our van."

My ears perked forward, and I turned my head toward the voice. Mr. Heavenly was gliding along in my blind spot, his head turned just off to the side so I couldn't see his face. Something about him, though, clicked something in my brain. I felt like I should recognize him.

"Um…ok. Lead the way." I mumbled. He speedily passed me and beckoned for me to follow, snowy white wings providing the perfect flag to follow. I gently readjusted the fuzzy boy in my arms and followed.

I laid him down beside the van, where the angel guy told me to. I turned away to take off. I'd already risked too much. I didn't regret it, but I had to get out of there. But just before I took wing, a hand touched my shoulder.

"Thank you, really. You saved Nightcrawler's life." He was facing away again, but his words dripped with sincerity. "You were a big help. I don't know how hard it would have been to take him down if it weren't for you." I realized then that he wasn't so much as looking away from me, but more looking at something behind us.

My eyes followed his gaze. Helmet-head was still on his back, surrounded by the other mutants. Icy mountains sealed his feet to the ground, and Tin Man and the big furry guy held his arms down. Even from this far away, I could smell his burnt flesh where I'd blazed him. Mr. Knife Guy was on his humungous chest, knives poised above his throat, threatening to impale. The wolf I'd seen earlier limped over to him, growling. It held its right rear leg up off the ground. It dangled strangely, perhaps it was broken.

My ears strained forward to catch what the feral knife-bearer was saying. Even though my hearing is rather sharp, it was difficult to hear from this far away. The way my ears were pressing forward nearly pulled _me_ forward.

"…'d you come here, bub?" Mr. Knife Guy questioned.

Through charred lips the downed fiend muttered "He said it would be easy! He said it'd be quick! All I had to do was get 'im, and I'd be done! I told him I didn't wanna do it! This whole thing's too risky!" He continued to ramble on, but the knife Guy stopped him by bringing his knives up to his chin.

"Why don't you just give me a straight answer, dammit!" he growled.

"I…I…he…" the monster stuttered.

"_There I go again. He's not a monster! He's a person! Just like me!"_ It actually hurt, knowing I'd thought that of another mutant. Even though I'd just witnessed him do some horrible things, he was still human. I had to remember that.

Knife-guy drew his fist back, preparing to strike. Just from his look and the way he subtly re-aimed his hand, I didn't think he was actually going to kill him. But I've been wrong before. The big blue furry man held up a hand to stop him. "Wolverine, wait!"

Knife-guy, presumably Wolverine, stopped and snarled over at the blue man. "What, Beast?"

"The Professor wants us to take him with us, to question him. He obviously knows more than he's telling us."

"And why didn't he just tell _me_ this?" Wolverine snapped.

A faint smile flashed across the blue man's—Beast's—lips and a subtle chuckle rose in his throat. "He says it's because you were too preoccupied."

Wolverine snorted and his knives disappeared…_into his hands_. "Well, at least we can make it easier to transport him." He then punched the large man and a metallic _clang_ rang out. The guy was obviously out like a light.

"Well," the angelic man beside me started. I'd almost forgotten he was there. "It seems our work here is done. Thank you, again, for everything you've done. Hopefully we'll meet again." He spread his wings and flew over to his team.

I had no more business there. I glanced down at the passed out mutant beside the van. Even with the drool, his elfish features were attractive. He was the one who'd given me that card. I debated asking one of the mutants over there if I could go with them. Maybe I could really stop running and settle down. I'd be surrounded by people like me, people who wouldn't be scared of me. I could find a home. I quickly shook that thought from my head. This wasn't my place.

I turned around and flew back towards my hotel, where I'd hopefully get a good night's sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Phew! Done! My gosh, that was long! Hey! Guess what? THERE'S ALREADY ANOTHER CHAPTER UP! GO READ IT!**

**As for Angel's POV, I really only did that so I could bring up Alissa's call among the adults. Odds are I won't be writing more of that. Also, I apologize for all the switching POVs, but I really have to do it for this story.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated! (But in this case you can save it until after the next chapter if you want)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alex, Megan, and Forge were chosen randomly, so don't ask me why they're the only ones there. It was random! Also, I know nothing about medicine, so forgive me for inaccurate information.**

**Also, this is another **_**reeaaallly**_** long chapter :) Sorry. I just really didn't want to split it up.**

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I woke up in the Institute's infirmary. I didn't remember how I got there, or how long I'd been there. The last thing I hazily remembered was being slung over Juggernaut's back and then being carried away by Angel, I think. My head felt as if I'd been "you should've had a V8" slapped with a hammer. I sat up and slowly looked around at the sterile white room. I was the only one down there at the moment, but no doubt Hank or Xavier or maybe even Jean would be down sometime, either to check on me or to work on…whatever it is they do down here.

Almost as if he heard my thoughts, Hank stepped into the room with Rahne in tow. She had a cast on her right leg and was walking with crutches, but other than that she seemed okay.

"Your leg seems to be healing nicely. Let's just bring you over here and we can get an X-ray to see how it's doing inside." Hank said to Rahne. Only after he'd finished talking to her and glanced up did he notice that I was awake. "Kurt! You're awake!" He motioned for Rahne to sit in one of the chairs in the room before stepping over beside my bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I groaned, which kind of contradicted what I said. "I've just got a massive headache. How long have I been out?"

"Since yesterday," he said, looking down. I noticed that his own arm had a large bandage across it. "You suffered a concussion on Saturday. Luckily, though, it wasn't too severe. I think your fur helped cushion the fall."

I nodded, which really didn't help the headache. "The others…?"

"Nobody else was seriously injured. The worst was Rahne, here. She broke her leg." He gestured to her and she smiled weakly. "Other than that, it was just some scrapes and bruises."

A sudden thought broke into my mind. I gripped Hank's arm and locked my eyes with his "Alissa, did she get away? Is she safe?"

He dropped his gaze before speaking. "Kurt, she's safe but…well, I think this should wait to be discussed at the team meeting today." He sighed and slowly looked up at me with an expression I couldn't recognize.

I was definitely confused, but I nodded—_"Man, I've got to stop doing that!"_—and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I teleported up to my room and got dressed. The entire time my mind was flying through a thousand different thoughts, most of them concerning Alissa.

"_Is she safe? Why won't they talk about her? Did she do something wrong? Did _I_ do something? Did she get hurt, and that's why they won't talk about her?"_

After I was dressed I flopped down on my bed and stared at the ceiling, escaping into my own mind. If anybody needed me, they'd know where I was. But right now, I just needed to be alone and _think_.

…

A few hours later, I felt a gentle poking in my mind as Xavier's voice boomed through. _"Attention X-Men! Team meeting in the main room! You have five minutes!"_ The next moment his mental presence retreated, and I was alone again.

I lazily slid off my bed and walked over to my closet. Shrugging on an oversized sweatshirt, I stalked over to my bed and took my cell phone off the dresser. I filtered through the pictures until I came to the one I'd been looking for. It was a picture of Alissa, laughing with Kitty at something Bobby had just said. She hadn't known I was taking the picture, or I don't think she would have let me. Her face was broken into a crazy fit of laughter, her nose wrinkled, eyes squinted shut, and teeth exposed.

I grinned, remembering that day. I don't even remember what Bobby had said, but it had set the girls off into a ten minute long laughing fest. That, in turn, had set everybody else off. Every time we stopped, one look at each other's red and moist eyes or other after-effects of laughter set us off again. That was pretty much how the entire lunch period went. I'm not sure what had tempted me to take the picture. Perhaps I just wanted to remember that day—_her_ on that day.

I was glad I had the picture. For all I knew, this meeting could be when they tell me that she's gone, or didn't want to see us again, or some other bad news. No matter what happened, I didn't want to forget that smile.

I checked the clock beside my bed. _"I should probably get going to that meeting."_ I slipped my phone into my pocket and teleported down to the living room.

"Ah, Kurt! There you are!" Rogue greeted. Kitty sat beside her on a couch and motioned for me to sit with them.

"Is that everybody? Who's missing?" Xavier questioned.

"Just Lucas, Professor. He's still sick," Emma answered.

He nodded, "I suppose there's nothing keeping us from starting this meeting, then," Xavier did a quick sweep of the room, making eye contact with every one of us. "First things first, Juggernaut has been contained in a maximum security prison until he can be further questioned."

A little shiver ran down my spine. That man had almost killed me several times yesterday. That wasn't something you easily forgot, even in this line of work.

"However, I'd like the focus of this meeting to be more about the mutant girl who helped us that day; the girl who burned Cain's face." Warren stood up from the chair he had been occupying beside Xavier. "I believe Warren has something to say."

"Thank you, Professor," Angel began. "Yesterday, a girl swooped in during our fight with Juggernaut and shot a plume of fire directly into his face. When he began to stumble, she again swooped in and grabbed Kurt from his grip, saving his life." His gaze met mine, his eyes softened slightly, as if he regretted what he was about to say. "The scary thing was that I recognized this girl, even though I'd only met her briefly. Unless I'm mistaken, she was Alissa."

Most of the students gasped or gave him a skeptical look. To them, Alissa was just a little different. A bit defensive, perhaps, but a mutant? Really? You could almost see most of them working the idea in their brains, seeing if maybe, possibly, she could be one of us.

I, on the other hand, just sat there in an odd silence, somewhat guiltily. I'd always known it had been Alissa. I knew she and the mutant were one and the same. I'd denied it, yes. Some part of me wanted to believe that they were different people, probably because _her_ being here was too good to be true. But really, I'd always known. I should have done more about this earlier. That would have eliminated all this fuss now and probably have helped her too, seeing as how she was living on her own at fourteen.

I knew the Professor knew too. It was obvious when sort of asked me about her after the Sentinel attack. _"Why didn't _he_ say anything? Was he waiting for me to bring it up again?"_ He probably was. The look he was giving me said so. But did I want to bring it up? What would the others think if they knew she'd been hiding her existence from them? Would they be mad? Would they even care? I'd brought up the idea before, but I don't think anybody was really paying attention. Or perhaps they'd already dismissed the idea as too crazy.

I'd been so busy wondering that I'd missed most of the conversation. I tuned in just in time to hear Jean's idea.

"Well, why don't we just go to her place and confront her about it? Ask her to move in and become one of the X-Men?" About half of the room nodded in agreement, a few people shook their heads, and the rest just sat there quietly.

"_Ok, my turn,"_ I quickly jumped up from the couch and addressed the room, "But guys, how's she gonna feel about that? Think about it. She's been trying to so hard to conceal herself, so how's she gonna feel when she finds out that someone discovered her secret? I think one of us should bring it up subtly, or maybe even reveal his or herself as a mutant to her, and see how she takes it. Maybe we can get her to come out on her own to us."

My idea was met with a sea of nods blank expressions.

Scott stood up now, one hand stroking his chin. "Yes, Kurt. That's a good idea, but what if she doesn't want to come out? What if she doesn't care that we're mutants? What if she doesn't want anything to do with us?"

I pressed my lips together, slightly irked by what he'd said. "I think that's a risk that we should be willing to take." My eyes bored into his shaded ones. _"Why would he say something like that? She's his friend too."_

The sudden silence was filled when Storm spoke up, "You both bring up very valid points. But what if Alissa actually isn't this mutant girl? Not that I don't trust Warren, but really, what are the odds of this? And why wouldn't any of us have noticed before?"

"_I did,"_ I thought angrily.

Now it was Hank's turn to speak, "Ah, yes, that reminds me. When Warren came to us with this idea, the Professor immediately went to Cerebro and tracked her down. Alissa is, in fact, a mutant."

A few shocked whispers filtered through the room. Why hadn't he told us this at the beginning?

"Really, Professor? Why didn't we know before?" Kitty inquired.

Xavier gave a light shrug and answered her, "Before, when I would make sure memories of us had been erased from the public, I'd only been focused on the humans. She must have slipped under the radar."

I knew then he was lying. Things like that don't just "slip under" his radar. He probably knew about her right after the Sentinel attack, but didn't say anything because of me. But that didn't make any sense. What did I have to do with this?

Xavier turned to me now, "Kurt, because you're her closest friend here, I want you to be the one to try to talk to her about this. Try to bring it up subtly; we don't want to frighten the girl."

I nodded, then mentally sighed, _"How am I going to do this?" _Kitty was trying to hold back a giggle beside me. She was obviously still obsessed with the idea that there was something going on between Alissa and me.

I guess everyone assumed the meeting was over, because they all started to get up and talk. But the Professor raised his voice to be heard above the clamor "Oh, one last thing! I don't want any of you to go to school tomorrow. Right now, we all need to relax and get some things sorted out."

His instructions were met with a chorus of sighs and excited "yes!"s. But then someone—I don't know who—spoiled all the fun. "But Professor, won't they think it's sort of suspicious if we all just don't show up to school? _All_ of us? I doubt they'll just believe we've all gotten the flu or something."

"Yes, good point. Ok, who wouldn't mind going to school, then?"

I was actually surprised at the number of hands that shot up. Who knew teenagers were actually so anxious to go to school? They probably just didn't want to miss a day of stalking their crushes. My own hand was raised high. I wanted to get to work on this whole Alissa thing as soon as possible.

"Ok, um, Alex, Megan, and Forge, you three will be attending school. Thank you for volunteering." Who'd have guessed it?

My head still pounding, I decided to walk to my room instead of teleporting to it. By the time I got there I couldn't even handle the headache anymore. I flopped onto my bed face down and just slept. I even missed dinner, which was weird. I faintly remember Rogue coming in and trying to wake me up, but I was obviously too tired. I guess I had a lot on my plate right then, metaphorically, anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

Monday eventually rolled around. I'd been dreading this day. That nervous feeling was worse than it had been on my first day of school. I was utterly petrified. _"What if someone saw me? What if they all already know I'm a mutant? What if…?" _A thousand different what if's had been speeding through my mind all morning. I'd been lucky that I'd been able to drag myself out the door this morning. I had taken all necessary precautions. At the first sign of someone recognizing me as the wingèd, fire-breathing freak from the restaurant and I was out of there. The night before I'd packed all of my stuff and left it near the back window so I could fly by and grab it if I needed to make a quick escape.

Kurt wasn't in first period that morning, nor was he in fourth. Kitty and Remy were gone too, so Biology was oddly quiet and boring for me. I walked to the cafeteria alone, and sat down at an eerily empty table. Normally, I'd buy lunch. It was inexpensive and filling. Plus, waiting in line would give me a chance to chat with Kurt and the others. But today, out of my own fear of discovery, I'd brought my own lunch.

I plopped down beside Forge at the near-empty table—only he, Alex, and Megan had shown up that day—and began munching on a Slim Jim. None of them were really talking much, so I had to break the odd silence. "Where's everybody else?" I asked.

Alex eyed me curiously, then swallowed a mouthful of sandwich before replying. "Most of them are home sick. But Rahne fell yesterday and broke her leg. She's still recovering."

"So, everybody's home sick?" I asked. That's _too_ much of a coincidence.

Megan answered this time, "No, some of the older kids have some big project due tomorrow, so they stayed home to finish it."

It still sounded fishy to me, but I just let it go. I didn't want to pry too deep into their lives; that might prod them to do the same to me. And right now, I really needed to avoid that. After that nobody talked. So after I finished my meager rations I got up and started walking around the campus looking for something to do. I still had just over a half-hour left of lunch. My mind started to wander as much as I was.

I was starting to think back to early Saturday morning, and meeting that guy named Charles Xavier. It was just too freaky that he ran a boarding school _and_ shared the same name as a guy that ran a mutant school-thingy-whatever-it-was. It was _too_ weird to be a coincidence. There had to be some connection between them. I quickly pulled my wallet out of my pocket and looked at that card again. The address said it wasn't too far from here. _"Maybe I can get back before lunch ends?"_

I ran out to the P.E. fields and quickly scanned for adults. None were in sight, so I sprinted out behind the baseball stands. I threw my coat off and spread my cramped brown wings. I let out a relaxed sigh as the wind bristled through my feathers; it always had such a calming effect on me. I launched myself into the air and headed in the direction of the Institute. In about ten minutes I reached the place. It was a huge brownstone mansion surrounded by lush gardens and lawns. It was beautiful.

I hovered there for a few minutes, just staring in awe at the place. Down below I saw a pair of bright white wings unfurl and start to rise into the air. Not wanting to get caught, I quickly pulled a U-Turn and sped off in the opposite direction, back to school. I hadn't realized how long I'd been there. Suddenly nervous that I'd be late for class or get caught, I started pumping my wings harder and pinned my ears back to make myself aerodynamic.

I fluttered down behind the baseball bleachers just as the five-minute bell rang. I slipped my coat back on and pulled my backpack over my shoulder. I was exhausted from the flight, but I sprinted across the campus to my fifth period class. I ducked into my seat just as the bell rang.

…

The next morning I walked into Geometry class and was greeted by a silly, wide smile and an exaggerated wave from Kurt. I smiled and slipped into the seat beside him. "Where were you yesterday?" I asked, just as the bell rang.

"What? The bell rang, I couldn't here you." He said. His indigo eyes seemed to be looking at me differently today, like with more curiosity or…something I just couldn't place.

"Where were you yesterday?" I repeated. Why was he looking at me like that?

"Oh, I um…hit my head. I felt really nasty and had a bad headache and stuff. The Professor let me stay home." He answered, somewhat uneasily.

"_Yeah, you and like, fifteen other people."_ I mentally smirked. "Well that sucks. How'd you hit your head?"

He fidgeted with his pencil and glanced down at the ground, then back up at me. "Oh, um…I kinda got into a fight with one of the other kids and it went a little too far."

"Oh," I nodded. Then the teacher began the lesson, so we had to stop talking. But that didn't keep me from wondering. Kurt had hit his head? My mind flashbacked to Saturday, and that mutant boy I helped out. He'd hit his head too. _"God, it's like my life's on repeat or something. There are too many coincidences here."_ By the time class ended, I'd decided to go back and check out that mansion again. Maybe I could talk to somebody there and get some answers.

As usual my second and third period classes flew by. When we got to Biology there was a substitute, so the entire class was pretty much free time. Kurt, Kitty, Remy and I played hangman for a while, but we stopped because Kurt kept using German words and annoying us. Eventually we just resorted to telling funny and/or embarrassing stories about friends. Kitty had just finished telling us about one time she walked in on Kurt playing air guitar to some song on his iPod while jumping on his bed, and then proceeded to fall off his bed.

"Ok guys, my turn," I grinned. "So, back in Cali, my friend Cody and I were out in this forest-y area close to my house. It's like, part of some old Spanish mission or something's property. Anyway, we were standing on this mess of logs and rocks and stuff when I spotted this adorable little baby squirrel."

"Aww!" Kitty squealed. Kurt and Remy just smiled.

"Yeah, it was so adorable! So Cody and I leaned in to get a closer look, but then the mother squirrel jumped out from one of the crevices in the rocks and started charging at Cody! She hopped up on the log he was standing on and just started chattering at him and like, lunging at him or whatever. This whole time he's here, balancing on this log, hopping from foot to foot as this fluffy little squirrel freaking _attacks_ him, and I'm just rolling on the ground behind him _cracking up!_" By the end of my story we were all cracking up. Kitty was trying to keep herself from snorting.

Unfortunately, our fun was interrupted by the lunch bell. We gathered our stuff and started walking towards the cafeteria when I remembered what I was going to do that day. "Oh hey, guys, I gotta go do something. I'll catch up to you guys later!" I waved goodbye and headed out to the baseball stands.

Once I was there I shed my coat and backpack and bolted into the skies. I flew a little faster this time; I wanted to have enough time to get a good look at the place. When I got there I circled around it a few times, studying it. Out in what I presumed was the backyard I saw a female figure standing, launching projectiles at a target across the lawn. Looking a little closer, I realized she was that spiky girl from the restaurant on Saturday. I was going to swoop in for a closer look, but she glanced up at me first. I think she waved, but I couldn't be sure. Maybe she thought I was that angel dude. Quickly deciding I'd rather not risk a confrontation, I tilted my wings and turned back towards the school.

Just for the heck of it, once the school was only about a block away from the school, I tucked my wings in and fell into an angled dive. The air rushing into my face and the sheer rush of falling overtook me. I was so overtaken that I almost forgot the ground was quickly approaching. I snapped out my wings about twenty or thirty feet above the ground and glided into the soft grass.

"Oh my gosh," a familiar voice gasped.

I whirled around to see Kurt standing in the shade of the bleachers. His mouth was dropped open in a shocked smile and his blue eyes shimmered. My heart thundered in my chest and I felt the rush of adrenaline as fear flowed through me. This was EXACTLY the thing I'd been praying to avoid. My brain was screaming at me, _"Go! Run! Get out of here!"_ but my body was frozen solid, like a deer in the headlights.

"I knew it! I knew it was you!" Kurt gasped, quickly coming over beside me.

His accusation startled me even further than I already was. 'Knew it was me?' My brain ran through all the times he could have seen me like this. If he had, could someone else? I turned and opened my wings again, trying to make a quick escape, but Kurt's hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Wait, no! Please don't go!" he shouted, sounding thoroughly worried.

"Why not? What do you want from me?" I yelled, angry at him for stopping me. "You afraid your little news story's going to fly off?"

That had obviously taken him off guard. His brow wrinkled in confusion, "What? No, Alissa, please. Just hear me out."

I folded my arms and turned his way, impatiently tapping my foot. My pointed grey ears were pinned back in frustration. Kurt stepped back and took a deep breath. He looked at me, his eyes had gone very serious all of the sudden. He pressed a button on his watch and…he…_transformed._ The pale, blue eyed image of Kurt shimmered and faded away and was replaced by the blue, furry figure of the mutant boy I'd met.

"This is what I really look like," he said calmly, but I could hear the underlying shakiness in his voice. He was obviously nervous about this. "I believe we've met before." He smiled nervously. I could see his pointed white fangs when he did.

Now it was my turn to drop my jaw open. I was speechless. This was definitely the _last_ thing I expected to happen. Standing before me was the boy whose life I'd saved twice. Now my brain started making all the connections. So the Xavier Institute actually was their boarding house. And if he was a mutant, that meant everybody else there probably was too, right? _"Gosh, this is a lot to take in."_

Kurt sat down with his blue furry back against the back fence. He patted the ground next to him. "Come here, we have a lot to talk about."

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV<strong>

I quickly explained everything to Alissa. She just sat there, trying to take everything in. She hadn't even bothered to fold her wings, which just hung behind her limply. I felt bad, throwing all this stuff on her like this. This wasn't how I planned things to go. I'd followed her out here to try to talk to her, but when I got here she was gone. Her backpack and coat were on the ground, so I assumed she'd be back. I hadn't expected to see her dive out of the sky like that.

I told her about the Institute, about the X-Men, all that fun stuff. "So, this place is a home for mutants?" she asked when I was done.

"Basically, yes." Hadn't I just explained this? "You should come by tonight, so you can talk to the Professor. We'd be honored to have you."

She simply nodded. I understood. It's not the easiest thing to take in.

"Do you still have that card I gave you when we first met?" I blushed a little under my fur, remembering that day. She nodded and pulled the card from her pocket. "Ok, come to that address tonight. We'll help you out with anything you need."

The five-minute bell rang. Alissa and I stood up and gathered out things. She tucked her wings in and pulled her coat on. I flicked the button on my inducer as the fabricated image of me shimmered over my natural blue form. Together we walked back toward the main building.

About half way across the field, she turned to me, "So _that's_ why you guys wouldn't leave the restaurant on Saturday!"

I chuckled. "Yeah. We're superheroes, we couldn't just leave." I almost hated that word, "superheroes". It was just another thing that made me realize that I could never really have a normal life.

She smiled. "And then, with Bobby, and that whole salsa fiasco…"

I laughed. "Bobby has ice powers." She understood and started laughing hysterically.

When we got to the point where we had to split up, Alissa turned and hugged me. "Thank you, Kurt. For everything." Thank God for this inducer. It was a life saver. I was blushing like crazy.

"No problem." I chuckled. Then she pulled away and started walking towards her next class. "See you tonight?" I shouted. She smiled and waved. I took it as a yes. This utterly disastrous day had actually turned into something quite awesome.

…

At around seven o'clock, there was a knock at the door. I'd told everyone about what had happened with Alissa and that she'd be coming by.

"I got it!" I yelled and teleported to the door. "Hey, Alissa! What's—" I stopped short when I noticed how she was dressed. She had a fedora on her head, covering her ears and the collar of her coat pulled up. Her wings and tail were nowhere to be seen. She smiled weakly and stepped inside.

The Professor wheeled up to her with the rest of the gang in tow. Everyone knew she looked different, so they didn't even try to hide any of their…differences. Gambit didn't have any shades on and Angel's wings hung loosely from his back. Bobby had just come back from a Danger Room session and was still all iced up.

"Alissa, you don't have to hide here. You are among friends." Xavier smiled.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly pulled off her coat and hat. She slowly stretched her wings a little as her tail twitched back and forth. A few students gasped at her wings—they were beautiful, after all. She smiled weakly.

"So, Alissa, what's your story?' Bobby asked. He had just now decided to power down, so his X-Men suit still had a layer of frost on the outer edges. "Like, how'd you get here and stuff?"

The adults ushered us to the living room. We all sat in a big circle facing Alissa, who looked a little uncomfortable with the spotlight on her now. For reassurance I slid next to her on the chair. I knew this was an awkward and stressful moment. I wanted to hold her hand—you know, for comfort reasons—but I knew all the girls would turn it into something else. So I inconspicuously wrapped the end of my tail around hers. I think she knew what I was doing, because she curled her tail a little tighter around mine.

"So, right now, I'm going to give you guys the short version," she began. "I was born looking like this. My parents still loved me and raised me, but I had to hide for most of my life. School was rough. Every day I was all bundled up, so I got made fun of a lot. Especially when I was young. When I was about seven or eight, my friend Cody came over one day out of nowhere. At home I didn't hide, so when my parents opened the door, he saw me. They explained everything to him and he promised to keep it a secret."

She paused and took a breath, then continued. "When I was ten, my fire powers started to appear. They were horrible at first, because I couldn't control them. Every time I exhaled, smoke or fire spewed out. I eventually learned to control them, though they still go crazy sometimes. That was how I got here. About nine months ago, I sneezed and set someone's car on fire. The cops came after me. I didn't want them to find out I was a mutant, because then the government would get involved. So I ran. I didn't tell anybody I was going, or where. I left behind two concerned parents, an eleven year old brother, and an incredible best friend. Now I'm here." She managed a smile when she said the last part.

We all sat there a moment, letting that sink in.

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV (short and sweet :))<strong>

"Well," the Professor sighed. "It's getting rather late. I'd hate to send you home in the dark, Alissa. Would you mind spending the night? We have plenty of spare rooms."

"Oh, no thank you. I don't want to intrude." The other students had already headed off to bed for the night.

"But I wouldn't feel right sending you out alone at this time of night," Xavier pleaded.

I sighed. "Well, if you insist on me staying, then please, let me sleep on the couch or something. I don't want to dirty any of your rooms." I'd feel bad mucking up one of their nice rooms with my nasty feathers and piggish ways.

He gave in. "If you insist." He gave me a tiny smile.

Kurt had let me borrow a pair of black sweat pants with a hole for my tail and Warren had given a blue plaid flannel shirt with slits cut in the back for my wings. (It turns out he was that angel guy from before. I _knew_ I smelled feathers on him!) Professor Xavier gave me a nice woven blanket and the television remote. I decided I liked him because of that.

I couldn't sleep that night, even though I was exhausted. I guess I had a lot on my mind. I'd purposely left out that Cody and Brendan were mutants, earlier. I was still trying to hide their secrets. I was mindlessly flipping though channels when I came upon _Transformers._ Maybe some awesome robot battles would help me sleep.

I was at the scene where the Autobots were hiding outside Sam's house, crashing through his mom's garden when I saw a dark figure in the hallway out of the corner of my eye.

"Kurt? What are you doing up?" I asked.

He jumped. I guess I'd startled him, because even from here I could see the fur on his arms standing up. "Oh, hello Alissa. You startled me."

I laughed a little. "No duh. So why are you up?" I asked again.

"I was just going to get a drink of water. But I could ask you the same question." He raised a dark eyebrow at me.

I waved my hand dismissively. "Ah, I can't sleep. So I decided to watch some robots beat the snot out of each other instead."

"Really? Why can't you sleep?" He came over and plopped down on the couch next to me. His spaded tail hung off the edge.

I sighed. "Well, to say the least, it's been a rather long and rough day." Really what was bugging me was my family. I missed them so much already; talking about them hadn't really helped.

"I'm sorry, Fraulien. I didn't mean to stress you out like this. I meant only to help you." He sounded so apologetic. Even his eyes, those beautiful golden eyes, held his apology.

"I know you didn't mean to," I put my hand on his shoulder, as if to say it was okay. "Dang, dude! You're so soft!"

I could tell he blushed, even though you couldn't really see it under his fur in the dark. "Ja, I-I know. Well, I better be getting off to bed now. Good night, Alissa." He started to get up, but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Um, Kurt," I began, thoroughly embarrassed, "would you mind like, staying out here? Like, just until I fell asleep. I'm kinda homesick right now and I kinda don't wanna be alone." I stuttered. _"Oh my god, now he thinks I'm weird. There goes my new mutant friend."_

To my surprise, he sat back down. "No, not at all." He smiled, his white fangs bright in the light of the TV.

I curled up beside him and laid my head on his chest partly because I needed a pillow, and partly because he was _so_ soft. I angled my eyes up toward his face. "This isn't awkward, is it?" I didn't want to push this friendship too far. Right now, he and these X-People were the closest thing I had to my family. I did _not _want to screw things up.

He sort of half-smiled, and shook his head. Then he put one arm around my shoulder and gently stroked the edge of my wing. The gesture was so sweet and familiar; it actually helped with the homesickness a little. I tried to watch more of the robot fighting awesomeness, but the rhythmic rise and fall of Kurt's chest along with his soft fluffiness combined with my exhaustion eventually overtook me. I was asleep in minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Jeez, sorry that was so long. It kind of took on a mind of its own.**

**The squirrel thing with Cody was based on a true story. A squirrel mom came after me for looking at her baby, once. xD**

**So I've got 3 little one-shots I've gotta get written then I'm right back on this story, I swear! One of the one-shots is for **_**Maximum Ride,**_** another is for the **_**Thor**_** movie, and one other is an X-Men: Evo crossover with Young Justice. If you like any of those come check my profile sometime in the next couple weeks or put me on Author Alert.**

**Please review my super long chapters! And feel free to tell me to write shorter ones! :) **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Ok, I know I said I was going to write some one-shots before I updated this next, but you guys were so awesome with the reviews, I just had to give you this! So thank you, TheEmberRaven, Scarlet Shamrock, Dragoncat, and my anonymous reviewer "Guest"! You really have **_**no idea**_** how much they mean to me! Enjoy!**

**Also, I'm expecting these chapters to be longer now. Of course, every now and then there'll be a short one, but it really just depends on how things go.**

* * *

><p><strong>Alissa POV<strong>

The bright morning sun pierced my closed eyelids. I woke up, but refused to open my eyes. I never got up until my parents came in and _made me_ get up. As I slowly regained feeling, I noticed my arms were wrapped around something fuzzy. I must have fallen asleep with Buggy last night. Buggy was the soft, red and pink caterpillar Mom had gotten me for Valentine's Day a couple of years ago. Sometimes, if I'd had a rough day at school or something, or was stressed (this usually had to do with Cody's powers going out of control again or being worried about Brendan) I would cuddle up with him when I fell asleep. I sighed and squeezed Buggy tighter, smiling a little in my semi-sleep.

Wait a minute.

Buggy didn't have a spine. Or abs, for that matter.

That's when it hit me. All my memories of the past few months came back. I wasn't at home, in my bed. I'd left that a long time ago. I was at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I was on the couch where I'd fallen asleep the night before, cuddled up with something very fuzzy. I was pinned between the couch and Kurt; I forgot I'd fallen asleep um…_on him_ last night. My legs were tangled with his and my tail was draped across our claves so the end hung off the couch with his. The very end of his shirt had ridden up a few inches, revealing his fuzzy stomach. Of course my arm happened to be resting there, where I'd been hugging him when I'd thought he was Buggy. My left wing was open and blanketed across us, because the blanket I had been using last night somehow ended up on the floor. _"Awkward."_ No matter how much I emphasized it, that word just didn't cut it.

I tried to sit up, but as soon as I stirred, Kurt did too. He sighed and turned over on his back. He blinked once, then stretched his arms up over his head and yawned, revealing his fangs.

"Guten morgen, Alissa. How did you sleep?" He blinked twice sleepily, seemingly unaware of our awkward situation.

I pulled my wing back and folded it behind me. I propped myself up on my right elbow. "Um…fine, I guess. I'm bummed I missed the end of _Transformers_, though. How about you?" How I managed to say that so relaxed, I'll never know.

He yawned again. "Pretty good. You're a bed hog, though," he smirked.

I smiled, "I've been told." I'd shared a bed with Cody before during sleepovers. Usually he'd end up smothered in feathers or balancing on the edge of the bed. Once he'd actually ended up on the floor. "So how did the blanket end up on the floor?" I raised my eyebrow questioningly.

He glanced at the crumpled fabric on the floor and stared at it for a moment, his brow furrowed. "Oh yeah, you kicked me in the middle of the night and I woke up. I noticed you were really hot and sweating, so I pulled it off. I guess I just threw it on the floor."

"Oh, thanks," I responded. More awkwardness. _"That was sweet of him,"_ I thought. Cody never cared about that stuff. But maybe he was just too preoccupied with avoiding a face-plant. "Sorry I kicked you," I added sheepishly.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'm fine," he waved a hand dismissively.

We sat there quietly for a few moments. I wanted to get up and start my day, but that would mean having to untangle ourselves from each other. That would be more awkward than just sitting here. But it was a school day, so we'd have to eventually. And if that didn't force us to move, that fact that I _really _had to pee would. "Do you know what time it is?" I asked before the silence got too long.

Kurt glanced at his bare wrist. "Ugh, the one time I don't have mein watch! No idea, sorry." He didn't seem to want to get up either.

I sighed. "Well, nobody else is up yet, so I guess we're ok to sit here for a while." Maybe I could fall back to sleep or something.

We sat there quietly for about another five minutes. We didn't say anything, or even really look at each other, for that matter. Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a large blue figure in the hallway. That large blue and hairy man from the fight on Saturday—_"What was his name? Beast?"_—strode into the living room. He glanced at us and snickered our way before taking a sip from the coffee mug in his hand.

"Ooh, having fun there, you two?" he teased, casting us a smug glance out of the corner of his eye.

My entire face blushed scarlet. My ears pinned back as I threw him a death glare. Unintentionally, a nearly silent, yet deep growl rose from the back of my throat. Kurt was just sitting there, blushing. Only then did I realize I still had my arm wrapped around his abs. I swore mentally and quickly drew my arm back. I blushed more then, if that were even possible. I swear, even my _wings_ were turning pink. _"Why the hell didn't I notice that before? And why didn't Kurt say anything?"_

That Beast guy just chuckled and stirred his coffee with a tiny silver spoon.

"Hey Hank, do you know what time it is?" Kurt asked so nonchalantly. How did he do that?

"Um, about 9:30. Why?"

"Darn it!" Kurt and I yelled at the same time. Then he continued, "It's a school day! We're late! Why didn't anyone wake us up?"

Beast—Hank, apparently—smiled and took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Well, we were going to, but no one wanted to disturb you two," he smirked. "Besides, the Professor told us to let you sleep. He didn't want either of you to go to school today." He took another sip before walking away. "Sorry to interrupt, I'll be leaving you now. Please go back to whatever it was you were doing."

I was ticked off now, and seriously embarrassed. I hated people teasing like this. I got it all the time back home because Cody was my only friend. Everyone always thought we were dating. Nothing had happened between Kurt and me. Granted, the current situation was awkward, but still. So I sat up and spit a fireball into Hank's coffee, splashing him with the warm liquid. I wanted to see what would happen when he took a sip, but he simply growled and stalked away without another word.

Kurt had his hand over his mouth, holding back a laugh. "Nice one! But isn't that going to burn him or something?"

I had a triumphant gleam in my eye. Shaking my head, I turned back around to face Kurt. "Nah, it really wasn't even that hot. It was mostly just saliva with a little flame for show." As I settled back down into the sofa, Kurt stretched his arm around my shoulders. His fur made for a nice pillow, I'll admit.

Then there was a sort of poking in my mind. I'm not sure how to describe it. Then I heard a voice that wasn't my own announce into my thoughts, _"Alissa, Kurt, please come to my office. I need to speak with you both."_

I grabbed my head, confused. My brow furrowed as I turned to Kurt, "Did you hear that? I must be going crazy. I swear I just heard someone _talking_ inside my head!" He just smiled and sat up completely, pulling his shirt down over his abdomen. _"Crap, no more abs," _I mentally swore. I then mentally slapped myself for thinking like that in the first place.

"That was the Professor. He's a telepath. He can talk to you in your mind." Kurt stood up and stretched. His tail made odd pop-and-lock motions as he tried to stretch the muscles.

"_So he's a telepath? Does that mean he knows what I've been thinking about?"_ I blushed as the memory of Kurt's abs flashed in my mind. But _more_ importantly, I was worried that he knew what I'd been holding back last night when I told everyone of my past. _"Perhaps that's what he's calling me in for?" _I stood up and adjusted my/Warren's shirt around my wings.

"Come on, his office is this way," He flicked his head toward a hallway and motioned with his hand for me to follow.

He ushered me down a few different hallways, until eventually we came upon a set of large double doors on our right. Kurt raised his hand to knock, but before he could a voice echoed through our (I'm assuming it echoed in Kurt's too) minds, _"Ah, yes. Please come in."_

He pushed open the doors, revealing a large office-like area complete with rows of bookshelves and a large desk in the center. Professor Xavier was seated behind the desk, his hands folded and placed on top of it. Two waiting room style chairs were placed in front of the desk. Kurt and I silently shuffled in and sat down. I suddenly became aware of the fact that I was sitting in this big and fancy office in a pair of sweat pants and an oversized flannel shirt—both of which weren't mine.

"Good morning. I guess you're both wondering why I've called you in here?" the Professor asked.

We both nodded. On the inside, I was petrified. Was he going to ask about my family? About what happened last night? Not that anything happened, but two kids waking up all wrapped in each other would certainly seem suspicious.

"Well, originally I had planned on only keeping Alissa home from school today, but after this morning's…_situation,_ and some further thought into the matter, I decided it'd be best for you both to have a day off." He looked back and forth between Kurt and me.

And cue the blush! That stupid scarlet color bled across my cheeks. Why couldn't part of my mutation be to not be able to blush? Because seriously, this feeling is _awful._ Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kurt's face going a bright violet color. But why was I so embarrassed by this? I never felt like this when people brought up Cody and I spending the night together. All I'd felt then was that I wanted to slap the idiots who'd say something like that. Granted, I hadn't known him anywhere _near_ as long as I'd known Cody, so that might make this a _tad_ more awkward. But still…

"So why don't you want us to go to school today, Professor?" Kurt asked beside me. Thank God he said something, or I would've spent the rest of the day sitting there wandering through my head. And that probably would've been a bad idea, seeing as how there was a telepath sitting right in front of me.

"After the events of yesterday, I decided that Alissa needed some time off. The other students will fill you in on any assignments you may have missed, and have called in an excused absence for both of you." His eyes flicked towards me for a moment, then back to Kurt. "I decided it was best to keep you home as well, Kurt, so that Alissa might have a familiar face around today."

He nodded in response.

Xavier turned to towards me now, "Alissa, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to you alone for a few minutes."

I wasn't all too comfortable being alone with this guy, but if all of these people lived with and trusted him, I guess I could too. "Sure."

He nodded. "Please excuse us, Kurt."

He quietly replied and scooted out of his chair. The door clicked closed behind him as he left.

I turned back towards Xavier and locked eyes with him. My stare wasn't threatening, necessarily, but it put the point across that I could be. This guy was dangerous; he could get into my mind, know all my deepest, darkest secrets, then screw with my head and do whatever the hell he wanted to. I was trying to prove that I was a force to be reckoned with. Now, again, I doubted he was _that _threatening, seeing as how all these other mutants trusted him so much. But for all I knew, he could be messing with their minds too, making them all believe he was such a nice guy.

And, of course, he could be listening to me think that the whole time.

"Now, Alissa, I would like to talk to you about last night." He broke the silence and returned my gaze with one as strong as my own.

"_He knows I held back information! Crap! Or he wants to ask me about why Kurt and I were sleeping together! Double Crap! And he can probably hear me right now! Triple Crap!"_ How can you keep anything private in this place?

"While I have not delved into your private thoughts—I do make it a point to give my students their privacy—based on the way you spoke last night, I do suspect that there might be more to your story then you have led us to believe." His gaze softened a touch, and I could see the genuine concern written in there.

But that didn't mean I was telling him anything. I tried to keep up a poker face, but my tail betrayed me by twitching. Hopefully he didn't notice.

"If you have thoughts you'd like to keep private, we shall surely honor your decision. However, you are among friends here. Nothing that has happened in your past will change what we think of you or how we treat you." His eyes had completely lost their roughness. All I could see now was tenderness and compassion. Maybe I was wrong about this guy…_maybe._ "It's not healthy to keep things bottled up inside. But we won't force you into anything. We all have our secrets."

I guess he realized that I wasn't going to say more, so he dropped it there. I looked up at him and drained the harsh look from my eyes. I wanted to believe what he said, but some part of me still didn't trust him. I didn't respond to what he'd said. At least, not verbally; hopefully my gaze will suffice.

It did. "Now, onto the second reason I wanted to speak with you," he leaned back in his chair. "I'd like to talk to you about moving in to the Institute. Here you'd have nothing to hide. You would be free to walk about and not hide your mutations. You could train to better control your powers alongside your friends, friends who care very deeply for you." A sudden image of Kurt popped into my mind when he said that last part. I mentally shook the image away and went back to listening to Xavier. "You would no longer have to worry about trying to make money to support yourself. Here, you'd have a home."

I pondered this for a moment. Sure, the students here were a family, and that was something I sadly lacked at the moment. And it would be nice to have a stable living place again. But this seemed rather sudden. I mean, I'd barely learned the truth about these guys yesterday. Did I want to move in that quickly? What other secrets could they be hiding from me?

"Thank you, Professor. I appreciate everything you've done and all, but I just think this is all happening a little fast. Do you think I could think about it for a while?"

"Of course, Alissa. Take all the time you need." He smiled. "But if you wouldn't mind, I would still like to help you. Perhaps I can pay for the room at the Beat's Hotel? It hurts me to see someone as young as yourself having to work so hard so early."

Maybe if I let him pay for the room, he'd get off my back about this moving in thing. And besides, that'd mean I could quit my job, which means more time dedicated to studying and having a social life. "I would really appreciate that, Professor." My smile was genuine.

He smiled back and seemed somewhat relieved. "Wonderful! Well, I suppose that's all I needed to speak with you about. Thank you for your time, Alissa." I nodded and got up to leave. Just before I opened the door, he added "Oh, and could you please send Kurt in?"

"Sure, Professor."

"Thank you."

The door half closed behind me, and I began wondering where I'd find Kurt. Luckily, he hadn't gone far. He was slouching against the wall across from the office. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and his tail twitched randomly beside him. He was gazing down the hall at nothing, probably spacing out. But that's when something occurred to me. I could see the tip of Kurt's pointy ear sticking out from his dark hair. Was it possible that he had advanced hearing? _"Could he have heard everything that Professor Xavier and I had been talking about?"_

Before I could think more about this, he perked up and turned toward me. "Everything okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah. He said he'd like to talk to you, though."

The tiniest blush graced his blue face, turning it a sort of lavender color. "Oh, ok. Thanks."

He stood up and stepped toward the office, he tail gently swishing behind him as he walked. As he passed me, it brushed my arm slightly. An electric tingle went up my arm; it sort of felt like how you feel after you get shocked, like the residual electricity flashing across your body. I shivered, the feathers on my wings stiffened and my tail twitched rapidly to the side. I considered waiting there until he was done talking to Xavier, but really, I just needed some time alone. I started glancing up and down the halls, searching for a window or something to jump out of.

I wandered up and down the seemingly endless halls, past locked rooms and un-open-able windows. I assumed that the locked rooms were the students' rooms. Any doors that weren't were either bathrooms with tiny windows (one of which I used to _finally_ relieve myself) or a storage closet. Eventually, after climbing another flight of stairs or two, I found one that had been left open. Carefully, I peeked inside. There were posters of various bands put up on the walls and a wooden crucifix above the blue and maroon sheeted bed. There was a large pile of dirty clothes beside the half-opened closet. A sturdy looking chandelier hung crookedly from the ceiling. A Bible with a bookmark near the middle sat on the nightstand beside an opened comic book of some sort and a familiar looking watch. The aroma wasn't too bad, but I could definitely smell the underlying scent of teenage boy, "Clean Linen" scented Febreze, and fur dander. Obviously, I'd stumbled into Kurt's room.

I was about to close the door and leave, when I noticed that he had a large balcony off of his room. The large French doors were open, a light breeze flooding into the room. Carefully, I picked my way across his room towards the balcony, closing his closet door on my way. Open closets were a secret phobia of mine. After watching some horror movie years ago, I was always terrified that _something_ would crawl out of there in the middle of the night and possess me or something. I silently awarded myself for protecting Kurt from needing an exorcism in the future. I sped the rest of the way across the room (in case something came out of the closet before I closed it) and hopped onto the railing of the balcony.

I glanced down at the ground several stories below me, _"Sweet freedom!"_ and fell forward. I let myself freefall for a few seconds before snapping my wings open. Every inch of them stretched out, grasping the wind currents, pulling me higher into the sky. From up here, I just sort of let the wind carry me where it wanted, only flapping if I started to lose altitude. I closed my eyes and simply lost myself in thought. _"Should I leave? I have a prime opportunity to do so. I could just fly off right now and nobody would know. Although, I'm still wearing Kurt's pants…which I just realized is super weird…and Warren's shirt (also weird, but not as weird as the pants thing). Maybe I could just give them back at school. But do I really want to leave? I mean, these people just took me in, under their metaphorical (except in Warren's and Megan's cases) wings. Hmm…maybe I'll hang out for today and go back 'home' tonight. They obviously care about me, and at the very least it'll give me something to do since I've already missed school today."_ I realized how crazy that would all sound so someone reading my mind. I'd just basically had a big discussion with myself in my head. But no matter. I tilted my wings and swerved back towards the Institute, spinning a few times for fun.

As I neared Kurt's balcony, I spotted a dark figure leaning against the railing, his black hair swishing gently in the breeze. I gracefully alighted with a fluttering of my wings. "Well, fancy meeting you here," Kurt greeted with a playful smile.

I tucked my wings against my back, shifting my shoulders a bit so they rested more comfortably. "Sorry," I began, embarrassed. I was in his room, after all. "I just wanted some alone time—ya know, to think—and I couldn't find a window or door or anything."

He shook his head, "Nein, don't worry about it. I completely understand." He was gazing out at the forest beyond the fields. There was so much in those eyes, so much knowledge, experience, hurt, compassion, fear, comfort…the list goes on. "So," he perked up, shifting those eyes that were too deep for a fourteen year old boy towards me, "do you want to go watch TV or something?"

I put a hand on my hip and shifted my weight, "hmm, well, I don't know…" I said, mockingly indecisive.

"Oh, are you sure?" he raised an eyebrow, playing along with me. "I'll make popcorn! And I'll even let you pick the show!" he smiled excitedly.

Now I genuinely perked up, "Oh, well, if you insist!" I winked at him before striding over and draping my arm across his shoulder, guiding him across his room towards the door. "You are _so_ gonna regret this, man." He looked over at me questioningly, but didn't argue.

Once we were back downstairs, I swiped the remote off the coffee table and switched the TV on.

"I'll go get the popcorn!" Kurt shouted before dashing off to what I assumed was the kitchen.

I took this as my opportunity to put my show on before he could come in and argue. But when I turned the television on, I was greeted with something other than my program. It was the morning news broadcast. A man with a short, curly brown hair and a thick moustache was on the screen, and it seemed as if he was almost _at_ me. A familiar picture was plastered to the screen beside him. It took me a moment to even register the words he was saying.

"…California is still missing. Authorities have done all they can to find the missing teen, but all searches have come up dry. The charges against the girl have been dropped since her disappearance, as police say that they are more concerned for the young girl's safety than the meager damage to the vehicle. Several alleged sightings of the girl have come up across the country, but none have given any solid leads to her location. If anyone has any information to the whereabouts of this girl, please call—"

"Hey, Alissa, do you want butter on your popcorn?" Kurt called from the kitchen, effectively cutting off the reporter man.

Still visibly shocked by the news cast, it took me a moment to register his question. "Um…yeah! Yes please!" I called back, quickly changing the channel. _"What if one of the teachers at school or something saw that? What about Mr. Caprice, the receptionist at the hotel? Would they recognize me? Would they sell me out? Maybe the Professor could help…"_ But just as I was thinking this, I spotted the show I wanted to watch on their DVR and Kurt strolled back into the room.

He plopped down on the couch next to me, shoving a handful of butter greased popcorn into his mouth. "So what are we…oh no. Dear Gott, no. Not you too!" I watched as the expression on his face changed to one of pure horror. I mentally fist pumped as a triumphant and excited grin spread across my face.

"So here's what you missed on _Glee!_" the narrator began recounting all the important information that had occurred recently in the series. I leaned back into the couch and pulled the blanket from last night across my lap. Then Kurt scooted closer and pulled part of the blanket onto himself, resting the large plastic bowl of popcorn on his lap.

"So are you a Gleek too, then?" Kurt asked a few minutes into the show.

I swallowed my mouthful of popcorn before responding, "No, I wouldn't quite qualify myself as a 'Gleek', but I do like the show. Really, I just watch it because I think Kurt and Blaine are the most adorable couple _ever_ and because I think Sam is _really _hot."

"Wait, there's a character named Kurt on this show?" he asked, seemingly intrigued.

"Yeah. He's the one with the scarf holding hands with Blaine in the back row. Blaine's the guy with the gelled hair. He also happens to be Kurt's boyfriend." I filled him in.

He nodded. "And who's this Sam guy that's reportedly '_really_ hot'?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but I thought I saw him straighten up beside me. I know for sure that I was his tail flick.

"You see that guy in the middle row with the blonde hair and gigantic, fish like lips?" He nodded. "Yeah, that's him," I sighed dreamily.

"He doesn't seem all that great to me," he argued, shoving another handful of popcorn into his mouth.

"Well, you haven't seen him take his shirt off. Like earlier in the season, he was a stripper, so he—"

"He was a what?" he interrupted, definitely shocked.

"Would you let me finish?" I shouted back. "To make a long story short, his family was broke so he went into stripping to try to earn money while he told his family he was working at Dairy Queen. But that aside, he has an _amazing_ body. _And_ he's just a TV character. I can drool all I want!" I crossed my arms and went back to watching the screen.

"Whatever, Verrückte," he sighed, shaking his head and went back to crunching on the popcorn.

…

We didn't really do much the rest of the day. We really just watched TV, raided the gigantic fridge, and talked about nothing in particular. When the afternoon arrived and all the other students came home, we set to work catching up on assignments we missed that day.

"Hey Kurt, could you help me out with this Spanish assignment?" I called from the other end of the couch.

"Um, in case you haven't noticed, Fraulien, I'm _German,_ not Hispanic." He replied sarcastically.

"I know, I just thought you might know. Thanks anyway." I sighed and went back to digging through the book for the answer. After about three more minutes, I gave up on Spanish and grabbed the math worksheet Jean Paul had given me. (He had the same class the period after me.) It was the same thing we'd learned yesterday, but I really wasn't in a math mood and frankly, I sucked at this stuff. "Kurt?"

"What?" he groaned, looking up from the English textbook.

"Do you get the math work?"

"I haven't done it yet. If you need help, just go ask Kitty. That's what I always do." He turned back to the book and scribbled a few notes down on a paper beside him.

Sighing, I called out Kitty's name. The perky brunette skipped around the corner from the kitchen, crunching on an apple. "What do you need?" I showed her the math problem and she shook her head in disappointment. "Really? What is it with you guys?" She sighed and scribbled a few formulas and symbols onto my scratch paper. "Do you think you get it now?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. Thanks Kitty!" She smiled and took another bite of her apple before wandering off to the others. Just before she left the room, she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes darting back and forth between Kurt and me. She smiled knowingly as Kurt stuck his tongue out at her. She snorted and sprinted out of the room.

"_Attention all students, there will be a short Danger Room session tonight before dinner. _All_ students shall be required to attend, including you, Alissa." _ I recognized Professor Xavier's voice in my mind. And judging by the faraway look in Kurt's eye, he did too.

"Um, Kurt?" I asked for the third time.

"Ja?"

"What's a 'Danger Room session'?"

A mischievous smile crept up his face. "Oh, you'll find out."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it's taking me so long to update and stuff. Summer is really packed for me. And I really need to start my stupid summer reading assignments, so it may be a bit before the next real update. **_**Really, really**_** sorry, guys :( And yes, I do love **_**Glee,**_** and I think Chord Overstreet (the Sam dude, to those of you unfamiliar with the show) is friggin' sexy. If you don't agree, well, that's your loss ;)**

**Please leave all comments, questions, concerns, etc. in that little review box thingy below! And please go vote on the poll on my profile, because I really want to get some real results there so I can finish that story. Thanks! You guys all rock!**

**Also, would you guys like Kurt's POV of this chapter? I'm debating whether or not I should write it, and it'd be really awesome if you guys would give me your opinions. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So this is the last chapter in Kurt's POV because it was so long. Hope y'all like it! Sorry for any repetition. And thank you to Marmite Jones, Dragoncat, x men big fan, Guest, and littleb98 for your reviews! I apologize if this chapter doesn't live up to your expectations, but I really hadn't planned on writing it so…yeah. On with the story!**

**Also, I apologize for this taking so insanely long. I do my best, guys. I also apologize to anyone whose lost interest in this story. :/**

* * *

><p><strong>Kurt POV (**This starts right where Kurt was walking Alissa to the Professor's office!)<strong>

I guided Alissa down the seemingly endless hallways of the mansion toward Professor Xavier's office. Once we reached his office, I raised my hand to knock. But before my knuckles came in contact with the thick, dark wood, his voice rang in my mind again. _"Ah, yes. Please come in." _I pushed the heavy doors open and crossed the room before plopping down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Good morning. I guess you're both wondering why I've called you in here?" Xavier asked us. His eyes passed back and forth between Alissa and me.

I nodded, expecting something about how we should find different sleeping arrangements in the future or setting an alarm on school mornings or something like that.

"Well, originally I had planned on only keeping Alissa home from school today, but after this morning's…_situation,_ and some further thought into the matter, I decided it'd be best for you both to have a day off." As he looked back and forth between us, I caught an amused gleam in his eye.

I blushed and hoped my face didn't turn some obvious shade of purple. But before things got too weird and they started noticing, I asked, "So why don't you want us to go to school today, Professor?"

He cleared his throat before he began. "After the events of yesterday, I decided that Alissa needed some time off. The other students will fill you in on any assignments you may have missed, and have called in an excused absence for both of you." His eyes flickered between us for a moment. "I decided it was best to keep you home as well, Kurt, so that Alissa might have a familiar face around today." I nodded. Then he turned towards her, "Alissa, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to you alone for a few minutes."

"Sure," she responded, her voice lower than usual. Maybe it was just the morning grogginess still getting to me, but I thought I heard a hint of suspicion in her tone.

"Please excuse us, Kurt." He asked with a nod.

I quietly stood up and exited the room, the door clicking behind me. I didn't really have anywhere to go, so I just slumped back against the opposite wall and disappeared into my thoughts. I could have gotten up to go get dressed or something and changed out of the simple light grey t-shirt and dark blue shorts I'd worn the night before, but to be honest, I didn't want to get up.

I wasn't sure how long they were in there, but it couldn't have been more than fifteen or twenty minutes. I heard the creak of the large wooden doors as Alissa stepped out. I couldn't quite describe the expression on her face; there were so many emotions intermingling across it. The one that was most prominent, though, was the unease. Her pointed ears were twitching back and forth rapidly, even though there was no sound in the halls.

"Everything okay?" I asked. Even if it wasn't, she probably wouldn't tell me anyway. But she should know that I care.

Her anxious eyes locked onto mine, and I couldn't help but be awestruck. _"They're so beautiful. The way they catch the light; it's like the gleam of the sun off the wings of a falcon._" It was an oddly specific description, but that really was the best way to describe her. A falcon is a mighty, lone, solitary bird, with powerful wings and the gaze of a hunter. But for all its power and strength, nothing is more graceful and majestic. The same eyes that can strike fear also hone beauty.

"Yeah. He said he'd like to talk to you, though."

I had almost forgotten what was happening, I was so lost in my thoughts. After realizing it I blushed. "Oh, ok. Thanks."

I wanted to comfort her, to let her know that she's not alone in the world, even though that's what she seems to think. I wanted to hug her or something, but I knew she wouldn't go for it, especially after this morning. So as I passed her on my into the office, I opted for a more subtle approach. I brushed my tail along her arm, hoping she would understand what I meant. I closed the door behind me and pulled a chair up to me.

"Kurt, I'd like to talk to you about Alissa," Xavier began before I could ask.

"Okay. What's up?" Was she alright? Maybe there was something wrong with her. It would surely explain all her uneasiness. _"Mein Gott, I'm going crazy."_

"Alissa is completely fine, Kurt." He answered, probably after hearing my thoughts. "But I would like to talk to you about her."

I nodded and leaned back in the seat a little more. My heart started to speed up a little, nervous for what was to come. There were so many different ways this conversation could go, especially with a mind reader.

"As you already know, Alissa has been through an awful lot recently." I nodded my head. "Even though I did not pry into her mind, it is very clear that she is immensely stressed. The girl has been away from her family and everything she finds dear to her for close to a year now because she feels it is the only way to protect them from the dangers she put them in."

Even though I already knew most of that, it was still hard to hear. Everything she'd been through has been so hard for her, physically and especially psychologically. She truly did feel that she was putting her family in danger. And seeing how much her family had done for her, I can only imagine how that made her feel.

"Needless to say, she is very alone and scared, even though she'll try very hard not to show that." His eyes were boring into mine now, like he was trying very hard to make sure I was paying attention. "She needs a friend, Kurt. Someone who will be there for her, to support her, and to comfort her. Even though you two haven't known each other very long, it is clear you share a very special bond. It's quite amazing, really. It's something much deeper than a normal friendship." He smiled. "I think you are already aware of this, aren't you?"

"_Shoot."_ He'd seen my blush. Well, to be honest, it was pretty obvious. What did you expect me to do when he said that? I mean, come on! _"But he's right,"_ I admitted to myself. _"I've known from the beginning there was something…different about her."_ The whole time I'd known her, there was something special about her, and I'm not just talking about her being a mutant. I'd just shared a different connection with her that I'd never felt with anyone before. I did know, though, that if any of the others girls here, especially Kitty, heard me say that they'd blow it out of proportion and start going on and on about "love" and whatever. But c'mon, I wasn't _in love_ with her. I'd barely known her a month! You can't fall in love with someone that fast, right? Besides, that probably wasn't the kind of connection the Professor was talking about. She's my best friend. I can't say that I don't care about her. Okay, I do love her, but maybe just not _that_ way.

Right?

"Kurt?" Professor X asked, getting my attention. I hadn't even realized how I'd spaced out. Oh and guess what? Still blushing.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Professor. I've just got a lot on my mind." My tail curled itself around my leg. It always does that when I'm anxious.

"Don't worry, Kurt. Everything is fine. There is nothing wrong. However, there is something I'd like to ask of you." I nodded for him to go on. "I do need you to keep an eye on Alissa. I'm a bit nervous that she might try to run again. I can't let that happen. It's too dangerous. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something happened to the poor girl."

"_I would never let anything happen to her."_ I thought before I even realized I was thinking.

"What I mean is: I just want you to make sure she doesn't run off. She needs some stability right now. Hopefully it will help her relax and relieve some of the stress burdens she has acquired recently. Do you think you would be able to do that?"

"Of course."

"Thank you Kurt. I don't think she trusts me, or else I would talk to her more myself. This means—" He was cut off by a soft knocking at the door. A muffled "Chuck?" came through the thick wood.

The door slowly creaked open and Logan poked his head through the doorway. "Hey, I was just wondering if I could talk to you about something." He caught sight of me. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know you were talking to a student. I guess I'll come back later." He started to leave when the Professor held up his hand.

"No, that's alright, Logan. We were just wrapping up." He turned back to me. "Do you understand, Kurt?"

"Yes, Professor. No problem." I got up and left the room, brushing past Wolverine through the doorway on his way to the chair I had just been occupying.

Just as the door was slipping closed behind me, I heard Logan say "It's about that new kid, Chuck. There's something funny 'bout her." Then the door clicked shut. I froze dead in my tracks.

"_WHAT?!"_ Oh, that had gotten my attention. Silent as a shadow, a turned around on my toes, not moving my feet at all. I then slipped into a crouch, leaning forward ever so slightly and putting my arm out for stability. Given Wolverine's sharp senses, I had to be absolutely soundless so that he couldn't hear me eavesdropping. And on top of that, even with my own advanced hearing, the door was _thick_, so I had to be quiet so I could hear through it.

It took a lot of concentration, but I could subtly make out the dampened voices. "…not sure how to describe it, Prof." Logan's gruff voice began. "I can just sense it; there's something special about that kid. I'm not sure what it is, just…power. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, Logan, it makes a lot of sense, actually." The Professor replied. "In fact, I think there's something I need to share with you. I ask that you don't share this with the students, or anybody, for that matter. Especially Alissa. Can you do that?"

"Of course. But not even the Elf?"

"Oh, definitely not Kurt. For the exact same reason you shouldn't tell Alissa."

"Ok, fine. So what's going on?"

"Well…" His voice faded with the sound of footsteps emerging down the hall.

I spun my head in the direction of the footfalls. At first, I thought it was Alissa coming down the hall, but after a moment I realized that the figure was too tall, blonde, and male to be her. Really, the only resemblance was the wings, which weren't even a similar color, or size. But that aside, Warren was coming down the hall towards me, and I was eavesdropping on the Professor and Logan. Not good.

Very carefully, as silently as I could, I slid into a corner and into the shadows, hopefully unseen. I frantically searched my mind for a place to teleport to, but I still wanted to hear their conversation. Then an idea popped into my head. It probably wasn't the smartest thing I'd come up with, but I saw no other option at the time. I pictured the location in my mind and felt a familiar tugging at my gut. The next moment I was on the wall outside the Professor's office with purple smoke and the smell of sulfur dissipating around me. I slowly crawled down the side until I was just above the window, and then placed my ear against the stone.

"Jeez, that's crazy. And Alissa doesn't know anything about this?" Logan asked.

"As far as I know, no, she doesn't. And I'd like to keep it that way. She doesn't need this added burden in her life." I could imagine the Professor shaking his head sadly as he said that.

"Yeah, but she has a right to know. How long do you think it'll be before she realizes she's…not alone?"

"'_Not alone'? What is he talking about?"_ I thought.

"Honestly, I have no idea. It may not ever manifest. There's no way to be sure until it does."

There was silence for a moment. "That's too bad. If it does, though, do you think she'll have control over it?"

"Again, there's no way to tell until it happens, if it ever does. But, from what I can tell, I don't think she will. At least not at the beginning."

Logan sighed. "Poor kid." They were quiet again, and I was silently begging for them to talk again, so maybe I could make sense of what I just heard. I was completely lost, and this sounded like a big deal.

I head the door click closed again and assumed Logan had left. Realizing there was nothing left for me to hear, I teleported up to my room. I stepped out onto my balcony and into the cool, gentle breeze. Leaning against the rail, I took a deep breath in, trying to clear my thoughts. _"What the heck were they talking about?" _My tail began twitching behind me, but I barely took any notice. _"I mean, 'she's not alone'? And what's this about 'no control'? And the scariest thing is that even _she_ doesn't know about this yet. What the hell is going on?"_

I was trying to figure it out, when I noticed a figure coming towards the balcony, flying. At first, I thought Warren was sneaking up on me again, but as they came more into view, I realized it was Alissa. _"__My God, she's beautiful"._ You wouldn't believe how incredible she looked, though. These huge golden-brown wings just descend from the sky, her hair whipping behind her as she moves. It's simply breathtaking. I can't stress that enough.

I couldn't help but smile. "Well, fancy meeting you here."

"Sorry," she apologized. "I just wanted some time alone—ya know, to think—and I couldn't find a window or door or anything." She began to shift uncomfortably.

It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. _"Is she apologizing for flying?"_ I then realized that she had been in my room to get out here. _"Oh, she's apologizing for sneaking into my room."_ I just shook my head. "Nein, don't worry about it. I completely understand." The silence that came after that was too awkward for me, so I tried to fill it. "So, do you want to go watch TV or something?" I offered.

She put her hand on her hip and shifted her weight to the other foot. "Hmm, well, I don't know…" Her mock indecisiveness made me grin.

But why not play along? "Oh, are you sure?" I raised my eyebrow. "I'll make popcorn! And I'll even let you pick the show!" My tail was waving back and forth excitedly behind me.

"Oh, well if you insist!" She winked. Then she put her arm around my shoulder as we walked out of the room. It took all my willpower to suppress the shiver, but I couldn't do anything about the butterflies that were causing a tornado in my stomach. "You are _so_ gonna regret this, man."

I took a second for her words to hit me. _"You just told a _girl_ you'd let her pick the show. It'll probably be some cheesy romance chick flick. What have you gotten yourself into, Wagner?"_ I chuckled under my breath and shook my head.

Once we were back downstairs, I shouted to Alissa that I'd go get the popcorn and headed into the kitchen. I tossed the bag of popcorn in the microwave and pressed the button for popcorn. I leaned against the counter as the popping slowly began.

As I just started thinking, my mind brought me back to the night before; Alissa's head resting against me, the rhythmic inhaling and exhaling of her breath, watching her fluffy green tail twitch as she dreams, and the incredible amount of warmth she gave off. It took me awhile to notice it, but she really is abnormally warm. I wasn't quite sure what it meant, but I was pretty sure it was important. _"Perhaps I could ask her if she's sick or something?"_ I was pondering this when the timer beeped on the microwave, signaling that the popcorn was done.

I pulled the bag out and poured it into a large bowl from the cabinet. "Hey, Alissa, do you want butter on your popcorn?" I called to her before I poured the butter over the bowl.

After a pause, she answered. "Um…yeah! Yes please!"

I drizzled the liquid butter over the popcorn and gently shook the bowl, letting it mix in. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something fuzzy on my arm-er, well, something _unusually_ fuzzy on my arm. I plucked the tan, downy feather off my arm and smiled. _"I can't get rid of her can I?"_

And that was completely ok with me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Again, I apologize for the wait. I'll try to update faster. Please drop a review!**


End file.
